US Open: Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz qualify for the round of 16

Daniil Medvedev completed the third round of the US Open on Saturday evening with a three-set victory over Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.

The third player in the world, Medvedev took two hours and 40 minutes to overcome his opponent, who was particularly difficult at times. Medvedev had to overcome a 5-2 deficit in the third set to avoid prolonging the fun in the fourth set.

“It’s hard, I just want to go to sleep,” said Medvedev, who finished the match again during the night.

Both players had many great exchanges for the fans.

Medvedev, 27, reached the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows for the fifth year in a row. He reached the final twice and was crowned champion in 2021.

The match started well for Medvedev, who broke his serve three times to win the first set in just 40 minutes.

The story remained the same in the second group. Still in complete control, Medvedev scored two more breaks of serve to win the set 6-2, again in about forty minutes.

The task was more complicated for Medvedev in the third round. With his back against the wall at 5-3, the Russian was able to break Baez to bring the players back on level serve.

Medvedev appeared to be going 40-0 in the next game, but Baez won four straight points and earned a set point. But Medvedev maintained his composure and won the match to return with a score of 5-5.

The third set was finally decided by a tiebreaker that was wild. Baez became a fan favorite in the match, providing strong opposition to Medvedev, even managing to save three match points. The fourth time, Medvedev finally completed the task.

In the next round, Medvedev will meet No. 13^H Seeded Alex de Minaur who defeated Nicolas Jarry in the third round. Medvedev won the only duel between the two players. The winner can then face Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz qualifies for the round of 16

World number one and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the finals of the US Open Tennis Championship by eliminating Briton Daniel Evans (ranked 28th in the world) today, Saturday, to whom he lost his first set in the tournament (6-6). 2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3).

In the round of 16, the young Spanish prodigy, who, at the age of 20, is searching for his third Grand Slam title (after the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon this season), will face Italian Matteo Arnaldi, 22 years old, ranked 61st in the world, who He defeated British seed Cameron Norrie (the sixteenth player in the world) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

“He (Evans) was a tough competitor. I’m so happy I got there,” Alcaraz said after his 3:10 win.

The Spaniard started strong and twice overcame his 33-year-old opponent’s serve to quickly settle the first set.

In the second set, Evans, the recent winner of the Washington Championship, succeeded in breaking serve in turn immediately, but Alcaraz cut four consecutive games before leaving the court, during a match that witnessed amazing exchanges in many cases that delighted the fans of Arthur Ashe Stadium. .

“We played some great points, which made us smile. We play to make people happy,” said the Spaniard.

A fighter through and through, Daniel Evans didn’t let his opportunity slip away in the third round, making just one unforced error.

But Alcaraz opened the fourth set by taking his opponent’s serve thanks to a somewhat desperate but winning shot from the baseline. He concluded the match with a powerful shot, especially thanks to a brilliant shot.

The defending champion, Alcaraz, faces a difficult field, as he may find in the quarter-finals the Italian Jannik Sinner (sixth in the world) and then in the semi-finals the Russian Daniil Medvedev, the third player in the world.

Rublev makes us forget about the false start

Russian Andrey Rublev, eighth in the world, continues his career after his victory on Saturday over Frenchman Arthur Rinderkneich (73) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5.

“I had never played against Arthur and I didn’t really know who to expect, except that I saw on TV that he had a great forehand. I’m glad I turned it around and won,” the 25-year-old Russian commented.

Rinderknech started my match very well with a white break to lead 3-2 and then 4-2 in the first set. Rublev broke the ball in the process, but was unable to continue with his next throw, allowing Rinderkneich to serve for the set at 5-3. Solid, the Frenchman got the round.

But then the tide turned. Rublev broke a 4-2 lead and confirmed the score at 5-2. He served at 5-3 to tie it at one set.

Renderknesh seemed to lose his balance and led the third set with a double fault.

But the fourth round was the hardest. Both players held their encounter at 5-5, with Rinderknesh saving three match points at 5-4.

But after scoring the equalizer at 6-6, he conceded the fourth match point, which he lost.

“I’m happy because from the beginning of the tournament I beat very good players,” said Rublev, who notably beat Gael Monfils in the second round.

He also stressed that his next competitor, Briton Jack Draper (123), will also be “very difficult to beat.”

Draper defeated Michael Mmo in four sets, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Zverev has difficulty facing Dimitrov

Alexander Zverev, ranked twelfth in the world and finalist for the 2020 tournament, took two and a half hours and two sets to gauge Grigor Dimitrov’s level before finally eliminating him 6-7 (7/2), 7-6 (8/10), 6 -1. , 6-1 at 3:42, Saturday in the third round.

“The first two sets were definitely the best two sets I played since the start of the season. The level was very high and we both killed each other physically. After that, he (Dimitrov, editor’s note) was tired, or maybe injured,” analyzed the 26-year-old German, who will face Italian Jannik Sinner (sixth place) on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.

On Saturday, after exchanging serves at the start of the first set, the two men reached a tiebreak, where Dimitrov scored five entry points and won the set in 70 minutes.

The second set lasted longer, and Zverev clinched the decisive match after 78 minutes of arm-wrestling, saving two balls from two sets to zero in favor of the Bulgarian.

But from here the match turned completely in his favor.

After his final loss in 2020 to Dominic Thiem, Zverev reached the semi-finals again in 2021. In 2022, he was injured since Roland Garros, as he tore ligaments in his right ankle in the semi-final against Rafael Nadal, and he had missed the American. Main.

He stressed: “I missed this atmosphere (the night sessions in Arthur-Ash Court), whether people were with me or against it.”

Siner defeats Wawrinka

Jannik Sinner, sixth in the world, qualified for the round of 16 by defeating Swiss Stan Wawrinka (49), the winner in 2016, with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“I’m happy with my game. I didn’t play my best, but I was able to raise my level on key points,” analyzed the Italian, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday on August 16 and who said he was “happy to be back in the second week,” at Flushing Meadows.

He will face German Alexander Zverev (twelfth and finalist in 2020) or Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (nineteenth) on Monday, and has his sights set on a rematch in the quarter-finals against world number one Carlos Alcaraz.

The older one, the day in the quarters, the Espagnol avait the Eliminé of Italy at the end of the home match, before the final match Casper Ruud to offer his first title in Grand Chelem and to save the most recent year no. 1 World Cup date.

During the day on Saturday, Alex de Minaur dominated Nicolas Jarry in three sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

For his part, Cameron Norris needed only three rounds to defeat Matteo Arnaldi (6-3, 6-4, 6-3).