By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) – American Frances Tiafoe outclassed former champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6(1) 6-4 7-6(6) to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals on Sunday, bringing his best level to finally get the upper hand on an all-too-familiar foe.
Tiafoe trailed Medvedev 1-6 in career head-to-head before Sunday – his only victory coming at the team competition Laver Cup – but cracked the code when it mattered to him the most, repeatedly striking near the net with surgical precision.
“Hell of a match. Really good match. A lot of back-and-forth, obviously. A lot of breaks today, good returning from guys,” said the 11th seed.
“I played well today. I played well when it counted. Yeah, I came up with some crazy stuff, but it had to be that good against such a quality player in Daniil. I knew what I had to do, and it’s all about execution. Happy I was able to do it today.”
Tiafoe will next play compatriot Alex Michelsen, whom he has beaten in both of their previous meetings, as the home fans hope to see an end to the 23-year U.S. men’s major drought this time around.
Down 5-6 in the opening set, Tiafoe broke his opponent from the baseline to force the tiebreak, where he ran up on the net to control the early tempo and never looked back.
He sent a forehand down the line to break the Russian in the fifth game of the second set and survived a fantastic cat-and-mouse exchange on the third set point with a perfectly placed backhand volley that even Medvedev applauded.
The pair traded early breaks before settling into a tense, final-set battle, where Tiafoe did some of his best work playing serve-and-volley tennis, with both players making scarce few mistakes.
Medvedev’s double fault was the only flaw in an otherwise sensational final tiebreak, where Tiafoe outfoxed his rival in a rapid-fire exchange at the net to save set point and get the crowd on their feet.
“I should have made better shots, better decisions,” said Medvedev, whose lone major title is now five years behind him. “In important moments, he made probably a better decision or a better shot, because in general, I had my chances.”
Tiafoe is now unbeaten through 10 appearances at Louis Armstrong Stadium, which plays second fiddle at Flushing Meadows to the stately Arthur Ashe court but has clearly earned the affection of the charismatic American fan favourite.
“It’s been amazing playing on this court, the energy has been amazing,” said Tiafoe, who basked in the cheers after forcing Medvedev into an error from the baseline on match point. “It’s like the people’s court.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Lincoln Feast, Peter Rutherford)
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