Before the 2024 US Open tennis tournament started, experts focused on three candidates Jannik Sinner , Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, while Daniil Medvedev was among the challengers.
As a result, most predictions for the semifinal match between Sinner and Alcaraz before the final were that the winner of this match would face Djokovic. However, after nearly 2 weeks of many changes, both Alcaraz and Djokovic were eliminated in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, respectively.
And while many turned their attention to the final between Sinner and Alexander Zverev - the fourth seed, the German only made it to the quarterfinals.
After all, Sinner - seed No. 1, vs Medvedev - seed No. 5 will certainly become the biggest match at Flushing Meadow this year. Experts call this match "early final", because in the remaining matches, whether Sinner or Medvedev reaches the semifinals and finals, the opponent on the other side of the net is only ranked as high as the 10th seed (Alex de Minaur).
Sinner and Medvedev are the two remaining Grand Slam champions to reach this round in the men's singles event.
"Hopefully we can have a great match," Medvedev said after beating Nuno Borges in the fourth round. "I know if I want to beat him I need to show my full potential, which I did a few times."
Medvedev, 28, has a 7-5 head-to-head record against Sinner, and won their last meeting, a five-set thriller in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
But Sinner, 23, has won five of their previous six meetings, including the five-set match in the 2024 Australian Open final, where he came back from two sets down to claim his first Grand Slam title.
Sinner became the first Italian (male or female) to win the Australian Open and the eighth male player to come back from 2-0 down in a major final.
"I will try to think more about Wimbledon than the Australian Open," Medvedev, who won his first Grand Slam at the 2021 US Open, said with a smile.
While Medvedev eased into the fourth round, Sinner was tested by American Tommy Paul in gusty conditions on Monday night.
“It’s different from the day sessions, but it’s great to be able to play this match,” Sinner said. “You know, playing against an American player here on this court is always difficult.”
Sinner has largely remained in good spirits following the pre-tournament controversy of testing positive for banned substances earlier this year but still escaping punishment.
Psychology is also the "front" that can decide this match, when Medvedev is easily influenced by the impacts from the stands.
This year, Sinner has been playing well on hard courts - 4/5 titles have been won on this surface and the results of the matches are 32-2 (losing only to Alcaraz in Indian Wells and Andrey Rublev in Montreal).
As for Medvedev, in the past, he also had top performances on this surface but this year is not so good (22-6) and has not won any titles (lost in the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells).
The match between Sinner and Medvedev is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. on September 5.
