Top-ranked Jannik Sinner used an aggressive style, rushing the net frequently, to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time. He defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev with scores of 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday night.
Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy who had recently been cleared in a doping case just before the U.S. Open began, will face No. 25 Jack Draper of Britain on Friday for a spot in the final.
After the early exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner has become the top contender for the title. He is now the only player left in the tournament with a Grand Slam win, having claimed his first at the Australian Open in January by defeating Medvedev in the final.
The match against Medvedev was unusually unpredictable, with each player dominating in different sets.
Sinner started strong, then Medvedev took over, and Sinner came back to lead in the third set. In the fourth set, Sinner pulled ahead from a 3-all tie, saving two break points and breaking Medvedev to lead 5-3.
“We know each other quite well. … We knew it was going to be very physical,” said Sinner, who had previously lost to Medvedev in five sets at Wimbledon in July. “It was strange the first two sets, because whoever made the first break then started to roll.”
The key to Sinner’s success was his performance at the net, winning 28 of his 33 net approaches, including 9 of 11 when serving and volleying.
“We tried to work really hard on this aspect of the game,” Sinner said. “Trying just to mix up the game.”
Medvedev had a mixed performance, hitting only one fewer winner than Sinner but making 19 more unforced errors.
