Medvedev into U.S. Open final

Daniil Medvedev twice was a point from finding himself tied at a set apiece in his U.S. Open semifinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The No. 2-seeded Medvedev surged out of that tight spot, beat a mistake-prone Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 on Friday and now is headed to his third Grand Slam final.

“A strange match, a little bit, in the second set, where I think everybody felt like it’s going to be one-set-all, and you never know where the match is going to go,” said Medvedev, who trailed 5-2 in the second. “Managed to save the set points. He missed one volley; I made one good point. And the match turned around completely.”

All in all, this encounter amounted to an opening act ahead of the headliner: No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the second semifinal Friday night.

That, Medvedev told the crowd, figured to be “a great match, so I advise everybody to see it.” He planned to watch it himself after having some dinner delivered.

Djokovic began the day 26-0 at major tournaments in 2021, with titles at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, and his sights on becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam. Laver was seated in the President’s Box at Arthur Ashe Stadium for Friday’s matches.

Medvedev, a 25-yearold from Russia, was the runner-up to Djokovic at Melbourne Park in February and to Rafael Nadal at Flushing Meadows in 2019. This was Medvedev’s third consecutive trip to the U.S. Open semifinals.

“I don’t think I played my best today,” said Medvedev, who has only dropped one set so far through six matches over the past two weeks, “but I’m really happy to be in the final.”

Soccer

PELE IN INTENSIVE CARE

Retired Brazilian soccer star Pelé remained in intensive care as he recovered from surgery to remove a tumor on the right side of his colon.

Hospital Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo said in a statement that 80-yearold Edson Arantes do Nascimento was recovering “in a satisfactory manner,” though still in intensive care. The hospital said on Monday that Pelé was expected to be moved to a regular room on Tuesday.

The hospital also said Pelé is “awake, actively talking and keeing his vital signs in normality.”

The three-time World Cup champion also said on his Instagram that “each day I feel a little better.”

He went to the hospital for routine exams at the end of August when the tumor was found. The hospital said in a statement then that the tumor was identified during routine cardiovascular and laboratory exams. It added it collected samples to be analyzed but has not released the results.

Pelé, the only male player to win three World Cups, has had mobility problems since a failed hip replacement surgery in 2012. He has been forced to use walkers and wheelchairs in public. He has also been admitted to several hospitals in recent years for kidney and prostate procedures.

Pelé won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups, and remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches.