Medvedev defeats Alcaraz, will face Djokovic in the final

1 of 1

New York. Daniil Medvedev defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 at the USTA Billie Jean King to reach his third US Open final.

The US Open quoted Medvedev as saying, “I said I needed to play 11 out of 10. I played 10 out of 12, except for the third set.”

“That’s the only way (to beat Alcaraz). He’s so young, has already won two Grand Slams, been world No. 1 for weeks, to be honest it’s pretty unbelievable and I think he’s got No one has done this before, so to beat him you have to be better than yourself and I managed to do that.”

In a matchup of two superstars, each with their own unique set of preternatural tennis talents, Medvedev, the 2021 New York champion, got his calculations just right to neutralize Alcaraz’s aggressive play with his brand of brilliant baseline play. The third seed also put in an impressive serving performance, which peaked in the second set when she grabbed three love holds in a row.

Medvedev held on early, fighting off several tough holds and saving only two break points of the first set as Alcaraz went off the blocks. But the situation began to turn when Medvedev won 12 consecutive points on serve at the end of the set, including a pair of love holds.

The third seed recovered from a double fault to level the set at 3-3 by hitting two forehand winners in a four-point blitz in the tiebreak.

Medvedev regained that lead with an instant break in set two, and he did not drop a single point on serve in the set.

Set three saw the inevitable Alcaraz surge in play, which he started at love to signal his intentions. Alcaraz, always a fan favorite in New York, received even more support from Ash as he began his comeback effort. The Spaniard was in full swing after earning the first break of the match and leading 3-1, his ballistic movements powering through the lanky Medvedev’s defence.

With the volume rising, Alcaraz won the third set easily and led 15–40 early in the fourth set, before Medvedev began to test his resistance again. Medvedev survived that game and then secured a crucial break on his second break point in a huge seven-deuce game to take a 4–2 victory.

Alcaraz attacked the net, serving and volleying most of the points at the end of that marathon match. But Medvedev kept forcing him to volley hard and Alcaraz missed the last two.

In the end, the challenge presented by Medvedev was too difficult to overcome. It was the third seed’s turn to endure a fierce service game in the final game of the match, but he faced three break points and sealed the deal with a very satisfying overhead that reached high into the stands.

Medvedev’s latest extension of dominance sets him up for a rematch of the 2021 final against Novak Djokovic – a match he won in straight sets to deny the Serbian a calendar-year Grand Slam.

To stop Djokovic from winning a record 24th major singles title, Medvedev knows he will need another superhuman performance.

(IANS)

read this also – Click to read the news of your state/city before the newspaper.