New York (AFP) – American Frances Tiafoe swept past former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in straight sets Sunday to advance to the quarter-finals of the US Open. A two-time semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows, the 11th-seeded Tiafoe defeated seventh-seeded Medvedev of Russia 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years.
Tiafoe enjoyed loud support from the crowd in Louis Armstrong Stadium, where he has never lost. “The energy has been amazing,” Tiafoe told a court-side interviewer. “It’s like the people’s court. I’m loving the energy for sure.”
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Medvedev had won six of seven prior matches against the American, including a straight-set drubbing in the same round of the 2020 US Open. But Medvedev, who won the US Open in 2021 for his only Grand Slam, has had an up-and-down 2026. He has won two ATP titles and notched a win over Carlos Alcaraz at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament.
However, Medvedev, who has reached six career Grand Slam finals, failed this year to advance beyond the round of 16 at any Grand Slam. Tiafoe carried a 37-16 record in 2026 heading into the US Open, including a runner-up showing at the Cincinnati Open, a prestigious tournament held just before the New York Grand Slam.
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