Medvedev outlasts Wawrinka to claim berth in US Open semis

Playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev defeated Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 here Tuesday to advance to the final four.

The 23-year-old Medvedev will be the youngest men’s semifinalist at the US Open since 2010.

Wawrinka, ranked third in the world five years ago, won at Flushing Meadows in 2016. His path to the quarters included a round-of-16 clash with Novak Djokovic, who lost the first two sets against the veteran Swiss player before retiring with an injury.

“In the first game of the match I pulled my quadriceps. I took a painkiller and by the fourth set I was feeling normal. I’ll see how I feel and will try my best to be fit for the semis,” Medvedev told reporters afterward.

Asked about his sometimes-testy relationship with the crowd at Flushing Meadows, he replied: “So many people support me, so many people don’t like me. I can just say, I try to be myself guys.”

The Russian’s next opponent will be the winner of the quarterfinal between Swiss great Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

In the women’s quarterfinal, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, the No. 5 seed, defeated 16th-seeded Briton Johanna Konta to advanced to her first US Open semifinals.

“It was a very, very tough match, and I think we were both striking the ball and it was quite even,” Svitolina said after the match. “I’m just very, very happy with how I handled the pressure today.”

The 24-year-old Svitolina, who also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon over the summer, will play the winner of Tuesday night’s match between American Serena Williams , the No. 8 seed, and China’s Wang Qiang, the 18th seed.

Svitolina, who is playing in her eighth US Open, now has a career 5-0 record against Konta on the WTA Tour.

“It’s a semifinal, so I have to enjoy,” Svitolina said. “It’s going to be a good match if I’m going to play (Williams).”

The Ukrainian needed one hour and 40 minutes to book her spot in the semifinals of the last Grand Slam event of the year.

Svitolina’s best previous performances at the US Open had been two appearances in the quarterfinals.

The Ukrainian finished the match with four aces, no double-faults, 16 winners and 13 unforced errors at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 28-year-old Konta, appearing in her seventh US Open, had 24 winners, but she committed 35 unforced errors and was broken four times.

Konta’s appearance in the quarterfinals marked her best performance ever at the US Open.

The British player reached the quarters by upsetting the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova, the No. 3 seed. EFE