(Tennis read) The Serb had little trouble making it to the semifinals, where he faced Ben Shelton, with the exception of his third-round encounter against Laslo Djere, where he had to rally from two sets down.
With a strong opening, Djokovic won the first two sets 6-3, 6-2. In the third set, Shelton attempted to mount a comeback and even had a set point. Djokovic won the set 7-6(4) thanks to his superiority and expertise, though, and advanced to his tenth US Open final.
Attila Balazs was easily defeated by Medvedev in the opening match of the New York Major (6-1, 6-1, 6-0), and he went on to defeat players like Christopher O’Connell, Sebastian Baez, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev on route to the semifinals.
He had Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed and the current champion, here. A close match forced a tiebreak in the opening set, which the Russian won 7-3. The second set, which Medvedev won 6-1, was then dominated by him.
Alcaraz recovered in the third and won it 6-3 to maintain his match hopes. The Russian, though, was in excellent form that evening and won the fourth set 6-3 to advance to his third US Open final.
Head-to-Head
In their head-to-head matchup, Djokovic has an advantage of 9-5. However, Medvedev triumphed 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships to win their most recent matchup.
Prediction
Djokovic has appeared to be in incredible shape at Flushing Meadows, and he will undoubtedly be the overwhelming favourite to win. But Medvedev has had some successful victories over the Serb, most notably ruining his Calendar Slam celebration in the US Open final in 2021.
Djokovic has won 263 out of 332 points (79.2%) while maintaining consistency on his first serve over the past two weeks, serving 47 aces. Additionally, he has made 144 unforced errors compared to 180 victories.
There are virtually few weaknesses in the Serb’s game, whether it be in offence, defence, or stamina. The addition of an exceptional attitude to that list makes him a fierce rival.
On the other hand, Medvedev will be full of self-assurance after overcoming someone like Carlos Alcaraz, who had previously soundly defeated him at Wimbledon and Indian Wells.
With 60 aces and 295 out of 374 points (78.9%) won on his first serve, Medvedev has been fairly successful. His second serve, meanwhile, has occasionally been a little weak; he has served 45 doubles faults. Against Djokovic, the best returner the sport has ever seen, the Russian will need to be careful not to produce too many of those.
Few players can compare to Medvedev in terms of efficiency even though he may not be the most graceful. The 27-year-old has a good counterpunching ability and can switch quickly from defence to offence when necessary.
Due to his opponent’s reputation for perseverance in the face of adversity, Medvedev will need to maintain his composure in this match. The Russian performed a great job over Alcaraz, and he will have a good chance of capturing his second US Open championship if he can stay composed and keep his cool in the championship match.
Daniil Medvedev to win in 5 sets.
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