WHAT HAPPENED: Tennis is at its very best when there are rivalries afoot, from the Roaring Twenties' novelty of Wills vs. Lenglen to the 80-match phenomenon that was Evert vs. Navratilova; from the baseliner meets serve-and-volleyer contrast of Borg vs. McEnroe to the Nike-embossed street warfare of Sampras vs. Agassi.
And, of course, there’s the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic tryptic, an impassioned GOAT debate that’s still playing out.
Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios aren’t there just yet, but their increasingly high-stakes heads-to-head is fast becoming one of the sport’s most intriguing matchups.
“We are both quite electric,” attested the top seed Medvedev this week.
You can say that again.
The atmosphere was indeed electric on Sunday night at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where fans were treated to a thrilling four-set battle that would see Kyrgios unseat the defending champion and world No. 1 Medvedev, 7-6(11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, through to the US Open quarterfinals for the first time.
It was the Australian’s fourth win in five career encounters with Medvedev, and his second straight after a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 second-round decision last month in Montreal.
“It was an amazing match. Obviously, Daniil is the defending champion, a lot of pressure on his shoulders,” said the 25th-ranked Kyrgios, who is into the elite eight of a major for the fourth time. “But I played really well. I’ve been playing amazing the last couple of months. What a place to do it. Packed house in New York. I’m extremely blessed.”
Kyrgios landed 84 of 119 first serves, winning 75% of those points. He was narrowly out-aced, 22-20.
The tense, hour-long opening set was a veritable serve clinic that featured nine aces from each player. The 23rd seed Kyrgios would save three set points in the telltale tiebreak to grab the one-set advantage. It was the first set Medvedev had dropped all week.
Three double faults in his first service game of the second set would haunt Kyrgios, who was unable to dig himself out of an 0-3 hole.
It wasn’t all fisticuffs for these Round-of-16 opponents, who, while not being close friends, have repeatedly spoken of their mutual respect. When Kyrgios took a tumble early in the third, Medvedev came around the net to check on his foe in a show of sportsmanship. That didn’t stop Kyrgios from breaking for 3-1.
Serving at 1-all, 30-40 in the fourth set, Medvedev dumped a forehand into the net (one of 19 errors on the night) to surrender the break. He would never recover.
Kyrgios’ newfound fitness-and-focus combo has been well documented. After a disappointing 7-8 season in 2021—his first losing record in 10 years as a pro—he all but reinvented himself. In July, the 27-year-old Canberran broke through to his first major final at Wimbledon. This summer, he embarked on a nine-match win streak that resulted in the Washington title and a quarterfinal run in Montreal. Since June 6, he’s notched an ATP-best 26 match wins.
When did it all click for Kyrgios?
“I’m still trying to figure it out, honestly,” he said. “I’m just trying to make every practice session count, getting to sleep—I would probably be out every night before. I’m just glad I’m finally able to show New York my talent. I haven’t had many good trips here, to be honest.”
Medvedev’s loss means there will be a new No. 1 as of Sept. 12. He was bidding to become the first man to defend the US Open title since Roger Federer in 2008.
WHAT IT MEANS: A spot in the semifinals will be on the line when Kyrgios takes the court against 27th seed Karen Khachanov, who earlier in the evening battled past 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta in a five-set marathon, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. They have split their two previous meetings.
“Khachanov’s a great player. He’s a great fighter. We’ve had some absolute battles,” Kyrgios said.
“Nick said he doesn't recognize himself how professional he is right now,” Khachanov noted earlier in the day. “I think the Wimbledon final showed him if he does the things like he does now which kind of level he has, what he's capable of. Obviously, everybody knows that, the way he's serving. I think the thing would be the same for me: Focus on the serve, keep the serve. In rallies, we have the same, equal chances. It will be always the question of how the point starts, with the serve and return.”
MATCH POINT: Kyrgios owns records of 35-9 in singles and 21-5 in doubles in 2022.
