Medvedev wins in straight sets to reach first Grand Slam final

Daniil Medvedev first made a name for himself at the U.S. Open by earning the wrath of spectators. Now he’s gaining everyone’s respect as he heads to his first Grand Slam final.

The No. 5-seeded Russian has gone from trolling angry crowds at Flushing Meadows to playing for the title after beating unseeded Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals Friday under Arthur Ashe Stadium’s retractable roof.

During his on-court interview, Medvedev referenced his “tournament of controversies,” which included $19,000 in fines and antagonizing booing fans last week, saying he knew it was “not going to be easy with the public.”

In Sunday’s final, Medvedev will face the winner of Friday night’s second semifinal between 18-time major champion Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini, a 23-year-old from Italy who is seeded 24th.

Getting to Grand Slam finals has not been the hard part for Serena Williams since returning to tennis after having a baby.

It’s what comes next that’s been the problem.

Despite repeated injuries, despite a lack of proper preparation, Williams keeps putting herself in position to earn a 24th major championship, which would equal Margaret Court for the most in tennis history. Williams gets her latest chance at the U.S. Open today, when she will face 19-yearold Bianca Andreescu of Canada.

This will be Williams’ fourth final in the past six majors. But she is 0-3 in those others, losing against Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon in July 2018, to Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows in September 2018 — who could forget that one? — and to Simona Halep this July.

“There’s so many different emotions in finals,” Williams said after her 6-3, 6-1 semifinal victory over No. 5 Elina Svitolina on Thursday night. “It just brings out so many highs and lows, nerves and expectations. It’s a lot.”

The difference this time, according to Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, is that she should feel better about her game now. Unlike for those past three finals, she is healthy, she is in good shape, she has been able to put in the right amount of work.

And therefore, he explained, it’ll be easier for her to deal with the emotions and pressure in this final than in those others.

“If you feel weak or not as strong as you wish you would, it’s more difficult to beat the pressure. When you don’t move well, you can’t be as confident as you should be because if your ‘A’ game doesn’t work, you don’t have any other option. And for me, that’s what happened,” he said Friday. “It’s a totally different situation now because now she can move. If she needs to play the rally, she can play the rally . ... So there is no panic if she misses a bit more than usual. No problem.” Mouratoglou’s conclusion? “It’s difficult for us to realize because she was in three finals, so you feel she’s ready. But she was in the three finals because she’s the best competitor of all time,” he said, “not because she was ready.”

Andreescu has been a revelation this season, going 33-4, including 7-0 against top-10 opponents, and hasn’t lost a completed match since March 1.

AL BELLO / GETTY IMAGES Serena Williams should feel better about her game at this year’s U.S. Open, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou says. Unlike her past three finals, she’s healthy and has been able to put in the right amount of work, he said.