NEW YORK (Reuters) – Daniil Medvedev fired off 13 aces to end British hope Dan Evans’ U.S. Open challenge with a quickfire 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory in the fourth round on Sunday.
Evans had survived a fifth set tiebreak against Alexei Popyrin to reach the last 16 but on day seven of the hardcourt major, he was no match for the Russian second seed.
Evans handed Medvedev the early break with a double fault in the fourth game of the first set and never recovered from that setback as the Russian belted 43 winners.
Medvedev, who lost in the final to Rafa Nadal two years ago, closed out the final game of the second set in less than a minute with a pair of aces and a service winner and won all of his first-serve points in the third on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
He sealed the match in one hour and 43 minutes to roars from the rowdy New York crowd, which he won over in a remarkable transformation from villain to fan-favourite in 2019, reaching the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.
“I knew I had to keep my focus from start to finish. I was serving good,” said Medvedev. “I was trying to change up the game, mix up the game, and I’m really happy that I beat such tough opponent with that score and with that much energy left.”
He next faces Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp, who continued his unexpected run in the tournament by taming Argentine battler Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 5-7 5-7 6-1.
Ticketholders looking to maximize their time inside Flushing Meadows’ famed stadiums would do well to steer clear of the world number two, as he has defeated each of his opponents in under two hours and has yet to drop a set.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
