The crowd would have been forced to root for someone if the anticipated Novak Djokovic vs. Daniil Medvedev quarterfinal had come to fruition in the top half of the U.S. Open draw. But it did not, and now there will be no mistake: Stan Wawrinka will have just about everyone’s support on Tuesday afternoon.
Medvedev and Wawrinka will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers after the Swiss upset Novak Djokovic (via third-set retirement) on Sunday night. Their only previous encounter came in the Wimbledon first round two years ago, when Medvedev prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
“I was on fire that match,” Medvedev reflected.
Just 21 years old at that point in time, Medvedev has now emerged as one of the best players on tour. The 23-year-old Russian has surged to fifth in the world and fourth in the 2019 race to London thanks to an unbelievable summer that includes three consecutive finals in Washington, D.C. (runner-up), Montreal (runner-up), and Cincinnati (title). Despite showing some obvious and understandable signs of wear and tear throughout this fortnight, Medvedev has managed to maintain momentum by beat Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Hugo Dellien, Feliciano Lopez, and Dominik Koepfer.
Of course, the real story with Medvedev has been his interactions with the fans–a saga that started when he was shown on the big screen giving them the finger behind his head during his third-round win over Lopez. He has been constantly serenaded with boos and has been happy to give it right back to the crowd during his post-match interviews.
“I saw a lot of drama happening this year at the U.S. Open,” Wawrinka noted. “But it’s a lot of fun also to watch for everybody. I saw also he’s been playing amazing tennis, making final after final, winning Cincinnati, winning here a lot. It’s going to be interesting match to play against him. I’m looking forward for it. It’s the quarterfinal. It’s going to be, for sure, a great level.”
Wawrinka’s level is once again elite on the biggest stage in tennis. Despite having never reached a top-two world ranking, the 34-year-old Swiss is a three-time Grand Slam champion–including a title at the 2016 U.S. Open. He is through to the quarterfinals in New York for a sixth time and is one victory away from a fourth appearance in the semis. Wawrinka preceded his success against Djokovic by defeating Jannik Sinner, Jeremy Chardy, and Poalo Lorenzi.
“I think that Stan in Grand Slams, he’s playing right now better than in other tournaments,” Medvedev commented.
And that’s the understatement of the century. Wawrinka is a whole different beast in these best-of-five situations and nowhere is he better than at the U.S. Open. Moreover, Medvedev has been seen with tape all over his body in all of his matches and he has to be running low on energy in both the physical and mental departments.
Wawrinka may be ranked 19 places lower than his opponent right now, but he should be the favorite in this match–and certainly will be with the crowd.
Pick: Wawrinka in 4
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