US Open 2023: Clash of champions as Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev meet in men's singles semis

The meeting will be a rematch of the Wimbledon semifinals from earlier this year.

Defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz will take on former winner and World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the men's singles semifinals of US Open 2023 on September 08 (Friday).

Alcaraz has dropped only one set so far in his five matches heading into the semis, while Medvedev has dropped twice — against Christpher O'Connell in the second round and Alex de Minaur in the last 16 clash. Alcaraz dropped his only set against Dan Evans in the third round.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev Preview 

However, both players won their semi-final matches in straight sets. Alcaraz overcame No. 12 seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to progress. The majority of the first set featured a barrage of superb baseline winners from both players. But when Zverev was serving at 3-4, the German made his first mistake by making three unforced errors in a row, giving his opponent a breakpoint.

By hitting a backhand winner to break Zverev at 1-1 and a forehand winner four games later to earn an insurance break, Alcaraz lifted his level in the second set as he became aware of his opponent's waning foot speed. At 5-2, he served out the set with ease and seized a dominating two-set lead.

The Spaniard was successful on all four of his break points, going four for four. All five of the breakpoints that were used against him were also saved by him.

On the other hand, Medvedev came past fellow Russian Andrey Rublev, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 and with this victory, he advanced to the US Open semifinals for the fourth time. The third-seeded and 2021 US Open champion, Medvedev, showed tremendous fortitude by fighting back from a deficit in each of the three sets.

In the third set, Medvedev fought off two Rublev surges for the lead before ending the match-long final game with his eleventh break of the match to seal the victory.

Head-to-head record 

Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have met each other three times with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head records against the Russian 2-1. The two recently met in the semifinals of Wimbledon Championships where the current World No. 1 defeated the Russian.

Where and how to watch live streaming and TV broadcast of Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev men's singles semi-final clash in India?

Sony Sports Network holds the broadcasting rights for US Open 2023 in India. Fans in India can therefore watch the live telecast Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev men's singles semi-final match on Sony Ten 2 SD/HD and Sony Ten 5 SD/HD channels. The livestream of the fixture will be available on the Sony LIV app/website.

Prediction 

The current champion is fully in motion. Alcaraz, the US Open's youngest top seed, is a heavy title favourite beside Novak Djokovic. The Spanish youngster is aiming for his second Grand Slam in New York and so is the Russian. Alcaraz, who also won Wimbledon champion this year, has only lost one set in the entire tournament and is already poised to rank among the best players of the modern era.

Two of the three encounters between Alcaraz and Medvedev were held this season only where the Spanish player supervised to win on both occasions in straight sets. His ground-covering ability won't make it easy for the Russian and Alcaraz will probably prevail in this round too.

To jog Medvedev forward and backwards, Alcaraz needs to work on his extraordinary versatility. As the game goes on, Medvedev, who has been grumbling about the heat in New York, will get more and more exhausted. Meanwhile, in the other semifinal of the season-ending Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic will take on Ben Shelton.