NEW YORK — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner reached the US Open semifinals for the first time by getting past 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday night.
Sinner, who took over as the title favorite after Week 1 exits by Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, is the only man remaining in the field with a Grand Slam trophy. He won his first at the Australian Open in January by beating Medvedev in the final in five sets after dropping the first two.
This matchup was unusually topsy-turvy as they took turns dominating a set at a time. First, it was Sinner who was superior. Then that role was played Medvedev. Then Sinner regained the upper hand in the third. In the fourth, from 3-all, Sinner surged, saving a pair of break points, then breaking Medvedev to lead 5-3.
Sinner — a 23-year-old from Italy who was cleared in a doping case less than a week before the US Open started after testing positive twice for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid in March — will go up against No. 25 Jack Draper of Britain on Friday for a berth in the title match. Draper won the only match between the two, at the 2021 Queen’s Club.
He is the third Italian man to reach US Open semifinals since the Open Era began in 1968, joining Corrado Barazzutti (1977) and Matteo Berrettini (2019). He also became the fourth-youngest man in the Open era to reach the semifinals at all four majors, trailing only Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Jim Courier.
That day’s other semifinal will be No. 12 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 20 Frances Tiafoe in the first all-American men’s matchup at this stage at a major in 19 years.
Information from ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.
