US Open: Medvedev races into last eight with dominant win

By Sports Desk September 02, 2024

Daniil Medvedev breezed into the US Open quarter-finals with a commanding straight-sets win over Nuno Borges on Monday.

As the only former men's champion still in the competition, the Russian put out a statement with his 6-0 6-1 6-3 victory in just one hour and 48 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Medvedev showed his intent early in the match, winning every game in the first set as Borges failed to find his footing and struggled to put the 2021 champion under any pressure.

The Portuguese did win his first game at the start of the second set, but Medvedev was soon back in control, going on another six-game winning streak to put him out of sight.

Borges finally showed some fight in the final set, though it was too little too late. He got his first, and only, break of the match, but could not push his advantage as the world number five claimed two of his own to book his place in the next round.

He will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or Tommy Paul in the next round at Flushing Meadows. 

Data Debrief: Statement of intent

Since losing the second set of his first match in New York, Medvedev has not looked back, going on to win every single one since.

Borges barely laid a hand on him in the fourth round though, as Medvedev stayed on top by successfully converting eight break points - he has now converted 29 such points at the US Open this year, the most of any player.

Since 2019, when the 28-year-old reached the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time, no player has reached this stage more in men's singles than Medvedev (five).

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    "I think that's where Alex has got me in the past. I also think he was maybe struggling a little bit today with something and that may have helped me a little bit.

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    Jannik Sinner was pleased with how he "stayed in every moment" in a "tough" US Open quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev.

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    "Maybe today I was going for a little bit more risky shots, I was missing just a bit more. As I said, one moment I kind of got lost in my misses."

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