Jannik Sinner battles past Daniil Medvedev in seesawing US Open quarter-final

Top seed Jannik Sinner (23) triumphed over Daniil Medvedev (28) with a score of 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a fluctuating quarter-final match at the US Open on Wednesday.

Sinner had previously defeated Medvedev in the Australian Open final earlier this year, and once again left the Russian disheartened at a Grand Slam event in New York, concluding the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a decisive forehand winner.

Medvedev, the champion of 2021, had bested the Italian in the Wimbledon quarterfinals but was unable to replicate that success this time around, contributing to his defeat with a staggering 57 unforced errors.

"It was very tough; we know each other quite well," Sinner remarked. "We anticipated it would be a very physical match."

An off-form Medvedev committed more than double the unforced errors compared to Sinner in the opening set, where Sinner lost only one of his first-serve points, appearing poised to advance to the semi-finals.

However, the Russian mounted a strong response in the second set, breaking Sinner's serve with a backhand winner in the second game and winning a lengthy 24-shot rally to secure another break point in the fourth game.

The momentum shifted back to Sinner in the subsequent set, as the Italian won the first five games in succession, leaving commentators momentarily speechless.

The closely contested fourth set turned in favor of the world number one when Medvedev made an unforced forehand error, granting Sinner a crucial break in the seventh game.

Although Medvedev saved one match point to hold serve in the ninth game and rallied the crowd for support as he returned to his bench, Sinner quickly concluded the match in the following game.

With this victory, Sinner ensures that a new champion will be crowned in the men's division of the US Open, as Medvedev was the only former champion to reach the quarterfinals in a tournament marked by unexpected early exits from top players.

Sinner's next challenge will be against Britain's Jack Draper for a spot in the final.