Daniil Medvedev Puts On A Masterclass Of a Performance To Eliminate Carlos Alcaraz From The U.S. Open And Set Up a Date With Novak Djokovic For The Title

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Everyone and their mother wanted a Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic rematch from what we got at Wimbledon. All of Arthur Ashe was willing to do what it took to push the 20 year old Spaniard across the finish line. Daniil Medvedev, playing his vintage villain self, told all of us to eat shit. 

Dude went out there knowing Carlos had dominated him twice this year and flipped the whole script. I didn't see a path for victory for him unless he changed up his gameplan from the past, and that he did. He was hellbent on aggression. On second serves he frequently cranked it up to 120mph+ as to not get worked by the Alcaraz aggressive return that had plagued him in the past. He still deployed his far back positioning, but his movement was great and made Alcaraz play an extra ball constantly. The man was on a mission to pull off the upset and he would not be denied. 

Did Alcaraz come out flat? A bit yeah. Was he all out of sorts in that second set? Sure, but honest to god I really don't think I've ever seen Medvedev play a better match. That's crazy to say considering he's beaten Djokovic in straight sets in the US Open final before. He was THAT good tonight. 

This backhand down the line was nuts. 

Carlos woke up in the 3rd after a bathroom break. He started to regain momentum and cut into the lead. Unfortunately for him, the Russian pushed forward again in the 4th set with a hard fought break in the sixth game. Alcaraz had multiple opportunities to put that game away, but got too cute. Eventually Medvedev capitalized and took the lead for good.

Of course Carlos fought til the end. That motherfucker doesn't quit. Amidst fans going nuts trying to will the comeback and Medvedev getting a little tight, the Spaniard did what he could to stay alive. This point below was bonkers facing match point.

To the dismay of everyone in attendance, Medvedev prevailed in four. Medvedev and the Open crowd have a testy history that can get out of hand sometimes. We were nearing a moment like that late in the 4th, but he shut the door before losing control. Not an easy thing to do whatsoever, especially when you have that kid on the other side of the net just waiting for a window to jump through. 

It's the first time we've seen Alcaraz knocked out of a slam in a full length match since he rose to stardom last US Open. It's going to take performances like what Medvedev gave on Friday night to accomplish that task. That was special. 

Now we get a rematch of the 2021 US Open when Daniil thwarted Djokovic's mission of the calendar slam. Nerves and pressure got to Novak there with all that was on the line and he wasn't himself. I'm not expecting that at all on Sunday. Medvedev is going to need to bring this level in two days. While the hype of a Carlos-Novak match is gone, I'm still excited to see how that one unfolds. I'll say Novak in a tight 4 sets for now.