Hottest day of the year with temperatures approaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) and drenched in sweat US Open2021 Champions Daniel Medvedev He walked slowly between wins on Wednesday, toweling off, looking at courtside cameras and making what sounded like a mixture of warning and plea.
“You can’t imagine,” he said. “A player will die and they will see.”
“The only thing that is a bit dangerous, what we can call dangerous, is that the question is: how far can we go?” Russia’s third seed Medvedev, 27, beat Ender 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Rublev reached the Flushing Meadows semifinals for the fourth time since, said.
“I’m not sure what we can do. Because we probably can’t stop the game for four days — because it’s been, what, three or four days, so brutal? — because then it basically ruins everything: TV, even tickets, Everything. It ruined everything,” said Medvedev, who said he needed an ice bath and something to eat after leaving the pitch. “So I don’t think it’s possible.”
Associated Press Analysis It shows that majors have felt hotter in recent decades, reflecting climate change brought on by this summer’s global heatwave. The second week of the US Open is challenging players to their limits.
They use ice—lots of it, in plastic bags or wrapped in towels—and pipes blowing cold air on the sidelines to keep them cool.
Medvedev used an inhaler during Wednesday’s second-set rotation while being checked by a doctor who checked his breathing with a stethoscope. Rublev leaned back in the sideline chair, as if he’d rather be elsewhere.
“At the end of the first set, I couldn’t see the ball anymore,” Medvedev said, adding that he looked across the net at eighth-seeded Rublev — his compatriot, good friend and daughter’s daughter. The godfather—thought: “Wow. Looks like he can’t run anymore.”
Medvedev returns to action on Friday for a semifinal against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who beat 2020 US Open runner-up Alexandria 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday night. Zverev. Alcaraz saved all five break points he faced and converted all four on Zverev’s serve.
The other men’s semifinal pits 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic against unseeded Ben Shelton.
Medvedev gave an on-court interview with a white towel around his neck after the two-hour, 48-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a relative feat for a men’s best-of-five-set Grand Slam match. shorter.
Medvedev said he felt dizzy afterward, and that both he and Rublev had their faces sore from the frequent toweling. Rublev described feeling his heart beating between two points.
Asked how worried he was about such a day, Rublev said: “I don’t even think about my health.”
Under new rules set for the remainder of the tournament on Tuesday, the USTA Partially closed retractable Ashe roof – Usually used to keep out the rain – Provides extra sun protection for spectators and competitors.
An unexpected result: the shadows make it hard to see tennis balls as they fly through the air.
No. 23 seed Zheng Qinwen, who beat 2022 runner-up Wengs Jabr in her previous match, said the dynamic bothered her in her 6-1, 6-4 loss to her opponent. Alina Sabalenka.
Sabalenka scored 20 of his 24 points in just 17 minutes for a 5-0 lead.
She reached her fifth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final and will rise from No. 2 to No. 1 in the WTA rankings next week, displacing the 2022 U.S. Open champion. per swatekout in the fourth round.
As for the weather? Sabalenka, 25, from Belarus, said her training base in the US had prepared her for heat and humidity of up to 50 percent more.
“I mean, it’s hot, but because I’m in Florida preparing for — I mean, what could be worse than Florida? I mean, in July and June, you I know. Overall, that’s not the case,” said Sabalenka, who has lost just 21 of her five fights over the past 1.5 weeks. “So I think that really (helped) me stay strong today and (not) get tired from the heat.”
She improved her record to 7-0 in the Grand Slam quarterfinals, seeking a second Grand Slam trophy to add to her previous one at the australian open in January.
In Thursday night’s semifinal, Sabalenka faces 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys, who beat defending Wimbledon champion Mata 6-1, 6-4. Marketa Vondrousova saved all nine break points in her match.The other women’s semi-final will be No. 6 Coco Goff vs. No. 10 Karolina Muchova; they won the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be a lot of hard hits, not a lot of long points,” said Keys, who lost to Sabalenka at Wimbledon in July. “I just want to buckle up and get as many balls back as possible.”
Keith vs. Vanderusova eight minute break The game was tied in Game 1 when a lower-level spectator required medical attention. Keys brought two towels and a bottle of water to where fans were being helped. The USTA said the incident was not related to the heat.
Medvedev has won nine of 15 matches against Rublev, who is currently 0-9 in the main quarter-finals.
Now Medvedev has some time to try to recover.
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