Tennis
Medvedev stole the semi-finals of the US Open from Rublev. Andrew is furious
Daniil Medvedev and Andrei Rublev / Photo: © Sarah Stier / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru, picture alliance / Contributor / picture alliance / Gettyimages.ru
The historical meeting of the best Russian players did not live up to the expectations of the fans
The quarter-final of a status tournament, in which two Russian tennis players meet in front of the American public, is a wonderful sight in itself. And the understanding that we were guaranteed to get our player in the semi-finals, allowed us to enjoy the fight without unnecessary worries.
However, to the disappointment of many, instead of a stubborn game, the audience saw a confident victory for Dani in three sets. Although Andrei had to take at least the first game.
Rublev freaked out and was again left without a semi-final at the Major in 2020.
Another entry to the semi-final
It is no coincidence that Andrei Rublev is called one of the main losers of the world tour, although this sounds ambiguous in relation to a tennis player from the top 10 world rankings. However, he never reached the semi-finals of the Majors, each time stumbling over stronger opponents, then over his own psychological swing.
In 2020, on the way to the cherished goal, Rublev faced the 2019 finalist Medvedev, with whom by that time the slightly younger Andrey had disastrous head-to-head statistics: Danya won three previous matches without losing a set to his opponent.
Both players approached the quarter-finals in a good mood. Rublev outplayed the strong Berrettini in the fourth round, giving him only the first set. Medvedev, on the other hand, didn’t have a single nervous match at all in the grid – he won all four fights with a shutout (3-0).
Enough for one set
The opening game gave the audience an epic tie-break, in which Rublev took the lead with a score of 5:1. It seemed that the long-awaited victory of Rublev in at least one set over his childhood friend would finally happen. Apparently, Rublev himself believed this and was preparing to start the second game in a positive mood.
At this most important moment, Medvedev stepped in and “saved” the game, pulling out three set-balls. Rublev was discouraged by such a denouement. From emotions, he began to literally beat his bag with equipment with a racket. Oh, if this nervous impulse helped Andrey not to lose heart.
But Medvedev played the second game so confidently that it seemed as if he was playing it with another opponent. Rublev seemed to have been replaced: he lost aggression in his attacking actions and, on the whole, looked depressed.
Medvedev’s tricks
Of course, this course of the match weakened Danya, so in the third installment he allowed himself to loosen his grip. It cannot be said that Rublev returned to the game, rather, it was the opponent that allowed Andrey to hope for a comeback. But he did not seem to believe in this possibility himself. Moreover, Medvedev used his favorite strategy, with which he so often broke much more difficult matches.
With Rublev leading 5-4, Danya took a medical time-out, citing shoulder pain. It took about three minutes to manipulate, Medvedev gathered his thoughts and took the game to zero. Then the opponents once again exchanged confident victories on their serves and came to the second tie-break in the match.
Danya, despite the tremor and muscle cramps, did not follow the path of the first game. With the score 5:5, Medvedev first took a point on his serve, and then converted the first match-ball. He accompanied this success with a triumphant cry, which, in general, is rarely seen in such cases from Dani.
In an interview after the game, Medvedev praised his opponent in a gentlemanly manner and admitted that there was a lot of luck in this victory. It’s hard to disagree with this – Rublev had an ideal opportunity, at least, to lead in this quarter-final in sets. But Andrei is not yet ready to cope with such a heavy psychological burden.
Unfortunately, this problem remains with Rublev three years later. At the US Open-2023, he will try to reach the semi-finals of the Grand Slam tournament for the ninth time. And again, Medvedev may stand in his way.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
sports doctor Dmitry Babelyuk He commented on the injury of the Ukrainian tennis player Marty Kostyuk:
“The video shows how the supporting leg bends when the weight is transferred to it. Martha managed to sense the danger and balance her body so that the “galik” was not completely exposed, but this small rotation still caused discomfort.
Anyone familiar with tennis knows how important footwork and especially sudden changes in movement are in tennis. For this reason, ankles are the most common problem tennis players encounter after elbows.
We remember Elina’s season with a brace and then surgery. This is also a common problem in men’s tennis.
The fact that Marta was able to continue playing shows that her injury is not serious, so it is definitely too early to bury this season. It is important now to recover well and be fully prepared for the next Slam.
Predictably, only one ligament was torn. Not a strong enough twist to tear all three, which happens all too often, but a strong enough twist to tear a ligament, forcing you to finish the tournament.
Marta is leaving JSC and will recover to prepare for the next tournament. “The injury is not serious enough to put the season in doubt.”
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Leader in ATP world rankings Carlos Alcaraz He held a press conference after defeating Adam Walton in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open:
– Carlos, congratulations on the successful start of the tournament. How would you evaluate today’s match? Frankly, the second set was tense, but in the end did you get through it without any losses?
– I can say that it was a difficult match for me. In the first set, everything was decided by a break. He made a few mistakes on his first serve. He also played very well, very reliably, and I think he was constantly trying to find a position to attack as much as possible.
In the second set, he started to find more space for aggressive play. In general, I played good tennis, but in one of the games I lost my concentration a little – mostly when I was fighting with myself, and after that everything became more difficult.
But overall I am satisfied. To be honest, I was ready for a serious battle. Although the level it showed was a bit of a surprise to me. I had to pull myself together and be ready for this battle. I’m happy with the first match of the season and the level I was able to show.
– Carlos, congratulations. What are you most pleased with today and what do you think needs to be improved to go far again in the tournament group?
“I think I hit the ball well.” Of course it could have been played better. But I’m glad I did everything I had to do. I acted correctly in terms of behavior and mental attitude on the field. I always had a good attitude, always tried to think positively. I think I did a good job with that and that was one of the main goals of this match.
In terms of tactics and the level of play in general, I understand that there are many aspects that need to be improved for the next round if I want to go further.
– Carlos, for many the quarter-finals are an excellent result, but you have not yet progressed further in this tournament. Do you have an explanation for why you performed less well than others at this Grand Slam?
– Yes, this is a little difficult for me to explain. It’s strange that I haven’t made it past the quarter-finals in Australia yet because I think I’m playing good tennis here. I played very well here for the last two years, but lost to Isner and Djokovic in the quarter-finals. If you are the first or second racket in the world, let’s say these are not the most ordinary opponents at this stage.
This is not an excuse, but I really want to do better than previous years. I have a feeling that this season I might have a chance to go further.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
How Anastasia missed the match against the 697th racket in the world.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova finished her performance at the Australian Open 2026 very early, which was definitely not expected from her. The 44th racket of the world (before the start of the tournament) lost in the first round to Chinese Bai Zhuoxuan, who before the start of the tournament was only 697th in the WTA rankings. Almost three hours of struggle, a comeback during the match and a nervous outcome in the tiebreak – 4:6, 6:2, 6:7 (10:12). For a tournament of the level of the Australian Open, this defeat can already be attributed to the most notorious stories of the start of the main draw.
Lost initiative, return to the game and tension until the last play
The beginning of the meeting did not foretell trouble, but Pavlyuchenkova’s game did not go well. In the fifth game, the Chinese woman forced a fight on the return and made a break – 3:2. This immediately added nervousness to the Russian woman’s actions. At the end of the game, Bai Zhuoxuan again took advantage of her opponent’s mistakes and led 5:2. Pavlyuchenkova managed to immediately win back one serve and reduce the gap – 3:5, but was no longer able to turn the tide of the game. After 47 minutes, the first set was won by the Chinese – 6:4.
In the second game, Pavlyuchenkova finally began to impose her tempo on her opponent. In the sixth game she achieved a break and took the lead – 4:2. Her boxing became noticeably calmer, and strikes from the baseline began to land more often. At the end of the set, Anastasia once again took her opponent’s serve and confidently closed the game – 6:2. At that moment, it seemed that the difference in class would still have an effect, and the match would gradually come under the control of the Russian.
The decisive set began with a cold shower for the favorite. The Chinese woman immediately made a break and took the lead – 1:0. Pavlyuchenkova quickly returned serve, equalized the score, and after 2:2 the game went into error-waiting mode. Both tennis players confidently won games on their serves. The stands actively supported the Russian, and on the court one could regularly hear: “Anastasia, we love you.”
Nevertheless, there were no more breaks, and the fate of the match was decided by a tiebreaker up to 10 points. It turned out to be nervous and protracted. Bai Zhuoxuan played more carefully in key rallies and put the pressure on her opponent – 12:10. The final score of the meeting was 4:6, 6:2, 6:7 (10:12).
The numbers behind which the problem is hidden
The match lasted 2 hours 43 minutes and turned out to be eventful; the statistics of the game explain a lot. Pavlyuchenkova completed seven aces – a solid indicator, but eight double faults regularly brought her opponent back into the game. The situation with break points is also not the most rosy: only four out of 11 opportunities were realized.
Bai Zhuoxuan’s performance is more modest: two aces, three double faults, three breaks out of 10 attempts. The Chinese played simpler, but calmer – and this was enough to withstand the pressure and wait for her chances.
For Pavlyuchenkova, the Australian Open 2026 ended, in fact, immediately after the start. The defeat from the 697th racket in the world (in the new ranking she is 702nd) is a painful blow to both ambitions and ranking prospects, even taking into account the equal fight and tiebreaker in the decisive set. But for Zhuoxuan Bai this match became the main event of her career. In the second round she will meet with the first racket of the world – Aryna Sabalenka. After such a victory, the Chinese woman will definitely take to the court without an extra burden of responsibility – she has already done everything she could.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
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