RUSSIAN HOT WAR
Medvedev too powerful
THE physical toll of Daniil Medvedev’s demanding quarter-final triumph were on show moments after he continued his dominance over “little brother” Andrey Rublev.
In hot Melbourne conditions on Wednesday, the allRussian quarter-final quickly turned into a war as both powerful strokemakers felt the effects of a brutal matchup.
Rublev cracked midway through the second set, then Medvedev crushed his young friend 7-5 6-3 6-2.
But after sealing the straight-sets victory in just over two hours, Medvedev showed the impact of the battle and immediately called for a trainer to treat cramp to his left quad before he was able to leave the court.
It was the first sign of weakness he’d displayed in the win, which maintained a perfect four-from-four record at tour level against his childhood friend who fell at the quarterfinal hurdle of a grand slam for the fourth time.
Draining rallies sucked the life out of both players but it was the younger who wilted first, showing signs of fatigue from midway through the second set as his crushing groundstrokes lost their sting.
“I think I’m one of the first players to make Andrey that tired on the court,” said Medvedev, who is projected to move to a career-high ranking of No.3 on Monday.
“My game matches his quite well. I’ve known him for a long time, so I know how to neutralise his amazing big shots.’’
Rublev has still never taken a set off Medvedev at the top level, a record that did not look like changing when he was broken in the sixth game of the match, though the world No.8, who had dropped just one set this tournament, hit back immediately.
But Medvedev turned the screws, closing out the first set before racing to the finish line as his opponent faded from the contest.
“If we take all the matches that I’ve played against him, today he played his best level,” Rublev said.
“In the end he was playing all the moments better than me. Simple.
“Mentally it was tough because you feel always that you cannot lose focus. As soon as you lose focus, it’s going to be over.”
Medvedev’s ice-cold performance should send alarm bells ringing throughout the minds of his rivals, not least of all Novak Djokovic, the world No.1 chasing a stunning eighth Australian Open title.
Medvedev holds a 3-4 winloss record against the all-time great, but those three wins have come in the pair’s past four contests and the Russian is in hot form after advancing to the final four.