T Tennis

Jannik Sinner clenches his fist. © APA/afp / KENA BETANCUR

Between heaven and hell: Sinner beats Medvedev

Jannik Sinner is in the semifinals of the US Open. The South Tyrolean defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev on Thursday morning and is now the favorite for the title.

It was the dream quarter-final of the US Open: Jannik Sinner against Daniil Medvedev. After the premature defeats of tennis giants such as Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, the two best remaining players played against each other on Thursday morning from 3.00:1 a.m. CEST - the number 5 against the number 6. The winner of this match is considered by the experts to be the clear favorite for the coveted trophy from New York. This now bears the name Jannik Sinner. The South Tyrolean defeated his Russian opponent in a curious match in four sets with 2:1, 6:6, 1:6 and 4:XNUMX.


It was strange because both players played dominant tennis at times, but at other times looked completely overwhelmed and helpless at their own box. This quarter-final can be aptly described as an adventure between good and evil, with the tendency changing with each set. Sinner started very strongly and gave Medvedev no chance in the first set, while the Russian managed the same feat in the second. In the third, the South Tyrolean suddenly seemed like a class better player again.

An inconsistent Medvedev

On closer inspection, however, it was less the world number 1's fault than Daniil Medvedev's. The Russian had worked out a clear game plan for his duel with Sinner: he wanted to force the South Tyrolean into long rallies and, over time, hone the 23-year-old's reserves of strength. If he succeeded in doing this, the Russian would win the points. But one prerequisite for this was an effective service game, which Medvedev completely let down at times. Sinner then always took full advantage of this.

Medvedev fought for every ball. © APA / LUKE HALES


As the match progressed, Sinner adjusted to his opponent. While Medvedev tried to keep the ball in play, Sinner began to go for quick points and ventured to the net more often. These efforts paid off and once this puzzle was solved, the South Tyrolean played the Russian into the wall with aggressive shots and speed. Finally, after 23 hours and 2.41 minutes, the XNUMX-year-old raised his hands in the air and celebrated his fourth appearance in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament.

Now Draper is waiting

There, Sinner will now face the tournament’s upstart: Jack Draper (ATP 25). The Brit played some extremely strong tennis and surprisingly made it into the round of the best 10 against Alex De Minaur (ATP 4). In the second semi-final, the two US boys Frances Tiafoe (ATP 20) and Taylor Fritz (ATP 12) will play for the honour of playing for the title in Arthur Ashe, the largest tennis stadium in the world.

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