Jannik Sinner has made history by advancing to the semifinals of the US Open for the first time after defeating 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in four sets. The Italian top seed clinched the match with scores of 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday night.
Sinner, 23, recently cleared of a doping case just days before the tournament after testing positive for traces of an anabolic steroid in March, will face No. 25 Jack Draper from Britain on Friday for a chance to compete in the finals. Draper has a prior victory against Sinner, having won their only encounter at the 2021 Queen’s Club.
Following early exits from top players Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner has emerged as the title favorite and is the only remaining participant in the men’s draw with a Grand Slam title, which he secured at the Australian Open in January after defeating Medvedev.
The match featured fluctuating momentum, with Sinner initially taking command before Medvedev responded. Sinner regained control in the third set and surged ahead in the fourth. After a tightly contested period, Sinner broke Medvedev’s serve to take a 5-3 lead.
“We know each other quite well. … We knew it was going to be very physical,” Sinner commented, reflecting on their past encounters, including a previous five-set loss to Medvedev at Wimbledon. He noted the peculiar nature of the match, where the player who secured the first break often dominated.
A key factor in Sinner’s victory was his success at the net, winning 28 of his 33 attempts, including 9 of 11 on serve-and-volley plays. “We tried to work really hard on this aspect of the game,” he said.
Medvedev, who ended up with similar winner counts but significantly more unforced errors, acknowledged his struggles during the match. “Sometimes you feel like you’re doing all good and then you miss and then you have question marks,” he explained.
With this win, Sinner becomes the third Italian man to reach the US Open semifinals since the start of the Open era in 1968, joining Corrado Barazzutti and Matteo Berrettini. He is also the fourth-youngest man in history to reach the semifinals of all four major tournaments.
Medvedev’s loss marks his second defeat in career quarterfinals at Grand Slams, with his only other defeat occurring at the 2021 French Open.
In the other semifinal, No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz will take on No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe, marking the first all-American match at this stage of a Grand Slam in 19 years.