Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev knocked out the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Both players had locked horns, with a spot in the finals on the line. But Medvedev was absolutely flawless and executed his plans against Carlos to perfection. The Russian, who won the tournament back in 2021, has a chance to double his Grand Slam title count on Sunday.
Medvedev displayed supreme tennis skills on the court, after a grueling quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev. Alcaraz put up some resistance, as his tennis acumen shone through, but it was too late. The match eventually slipped away from Alcaraz, who lost 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Following the semifinal encounter, Alcaraz opened up about his performance. He gave candid answers, about not being mature enough to counter Daniil. Carlos also gave credit to Medvedev for playing a great game.
Carlos Alcaraz says he wasn’t mature enough to handle the match tonight against Daniil Medvedev:
“These kind of matches can happen. Even if I feel I’m a more mature, different player. He played really really great. A great game. I couldn’t find solutions. I thought right now I’m… pic.twitter.com/gSmkPnGYFs
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 9, 2023
Fans, however, ripped into Carlos and his coaches. Many felt that Alcaraz’s natural game was hampered by his team constantly telling him how to play. One user felt that Carlos, “Tried too many fancy shots.”
Great answer 👍🏾🙏🏾👏🏾 he definitely tried too many fancy shots today when he needed to keep it simple. But the answer shows he knows what went wrong, so that is good 👍🏾👍🏾👌🏽👏🏾
— Vero Beach (@tidewukong) September 9, 2023
Maybe if his coaches weren’t constantly telling him how to play from the sidelines he’d build enough confidence in himself to make the right decisions and figure things out on his own
— J. A. Hernandez (@johnah376) September 9, 2023
Notwithstanding the result of the semifinal, Carlos had a good run at Grand Slams this year, winning at Wimbledon. As for Daniil Medvedev, he will take on Novak Djokovic in the highly-anticipated final at Arthur Ashe.
Daniil Medvedev proved that Carlos Alcaraz can be defeated
Going into the semifinal, it was obvious that Alcaraz was the overwhelming favorite to win the match. Medvedev had been written off, as fans wanted another Djokovic-Alcaraz final. Daniil had to play the best match of his career against Alcaraz, to even stand a chance, and that is exactly what he did. After the match, he gave himself 12 out of 10 points for defeating the 2-time Grand Slam champion.
Daniil Medvedev on beating Carlos Alcaraz at US Open:
“I said I needed to play 11 out of 10. I played 12 out of 10. That’s the only way. 2 Grand Slams. World #1. It’s unbelievable. To beat him, you need to be better than yourself.” pic.twitter.com/G8J1Z1PooV
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 9, 2023
Medvedev opened up about defeating Alcaraz during an interview following his match. He acknowledged Alcaraz’s skills and his variety of shots. But he added that even the best players like Alcaraz and Novak can be defeated.
Daniil Medvedev says Carlos Alcaraz is beatable, just like Djokovic & Nadal are:
“He has every shot. He has extra power compared to other players. Maybe 97% of players, it’s tough for them to hit the ball through me. I’m always there. Always running. He can do it just bc he has… pic.twitter.com/FfiMZdNxmw
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 6, 2023
Daniil Medvedev will try to replicate his 2021 performance, where he defeated Djokovic in the final. But Novak will not be an easy opponent to beat. The Serb is on a mission to win his 24th career Grand Slam title, and 4th at the Flushing Meadows.
