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As the clock struck at midnight, Daniil Medvedev wrapped up his fifth day at the US Open with an extremely entertaining win over Feliciano Lopez.
Medvedev resisted Lopez 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, after three hours and 19 minutes of hard-hitting tennis. The world No. 5 matched his best result in Grand Slam, having also reached the knockout stages at the Australian Open this year. It's his first appearance in New York.
It was a war of attrition, as Medvedev fought alongside Lopez in a roller-coaster affair that ended at 12:04 on the Louis Armstrong Stadium. He returned 55 winners, including 27 aces, while surviving at 85 approaches to net by the native of Madrid.
The drama was palpable on Armstrong and the New York crowd leaned back behind Lopez as the match unfolded. Medvedev, very agitated, had opposed the local fans at the beginning of the match, but the Russian fed this atmosphere of high madness.
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Despite wasting a 5-3 lead and dropping the first set in a tie-break, Lopez immediately grabbed the second set with a break from the first game. The Spaniard found the right level 38 minutes later, raising his arms in the air and calling the New York faithful to rally behind him. You could cut off the tension with a knife when the third set goes into the decisive game, the veteran registering a flying point with a volley. But two points later, Medvedev finally got the better of Lopez to take the set.
The Russians will not turn away from there, rushing to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth set with a perfect lob for the backhand. And he would seal the victory on his first point of match with a winner of the reverse.
Medvedev ends the month of August with an impressive 17-2 record, including recent appearances at the Washington Citi Open, the Rogers Cup in Montreal and the title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. He has won 47 victories in a round – and 33 on hard courts – this year.
Meanwhile, Dominik Koepfer extended his magic race another day. Koepfer knocked out the 17th favorite Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1 for his first win in the Top 20 and his first appearance in the second week of a Grand Slam.
The German has become the second qualifier to qualify for the round of 16 at the US Open since 2009, joining Denis Shapovalov (2017). Barely a year ago, Koepfer was 243rd in the ATP rankings and should now be in the Top 100 thanks to his thorough career in New York.
"It's amazing," Koepfer said after the match. "It's the first time I've come here and it's been two weeks since I'm here – same place for dinner before every game, but I like to win, so I guess we have to continue."
"I thought I was competing very well for four sets, I fought for every ball and every point, and I guess that paid off in the end."
Under the tutelage of former pro Rhyne Williams, Koepfer is skyrocketing. He won his only title on the ATP Challenger Tour on Ilkley 's grass in June, before reaching the second round of Wimbledon. Now he has gone one step further to the US Open.
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