Before the match, No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev had trouble pronouncing the name of his upcoming opponent, qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp.
He had an easier time dispatching the Dutch Master in Tuesday’s quarterfinal at Ashe Stadium, though he dropped his first set of the fortnight. Medvedev, the 2019 Open finalist, led 2-0 before being forced into a fourth set. The Russian held on for a 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 triumph. He moved into the semifinals against the winner of Tuesday night’s Felix Auger-Aliassime-Carlos Alcaraz Garfia match.
“Amazing run to go from qualies to quarters and he had a lot of tough matches,’’ Medvedev said on court. “An amazing level from him in the third and fourth set. He continues to play like this, he’ll be top-30, 40 minimum.”
On the easier side of the draw, Medvedev and Novak Djokovic appear on a collision course for history with the Serbian trying to win “The Grand Slam.’’
Van de Zandschulp made a stirring run to the quarterfinals after getting through the qualifiers. That meant he had won seven matches just to get to Tuesday in the 25-year-old’s first-ever trip to the United States. He had entered the event ranked No. 117 and benefitted from the event missing four former Open champions in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and the defending champ Dominic Thiem.
Medvedev overpowered a suddenly tentative Van de Zandschulp in the first two sets with his serve before the Dutchman awoke behind an Ashe Stadium crowd pulling for more tennis.
And they got it — at least for one more set.
