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Medvedev saves match point, moves into Australian Open semis
Updated On: 27 January, 2022 07:12 AM IST | Melbourne | AP
Facing defeat on Wednesday, Medvedev got a break. A six-minute delay in the third-set tiebreaker for the roof on Rod Laver Arena to be closed during a rain shower swung the momentum mostly his way
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Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne. Pic/AFP
Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down and saved a match point before beating No 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(4) 3-6 7-6(2) 7-5 6-4 on Wednesday to move into the Australian Open semifinals. The US Open champion`s bid to become the first man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title in the next major tournament is still on track after the 4-hour, 42-minute comeback victory. Medvedev will play Friday against French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in a rematch of last year`s semifinals at Melbourne Park. Medvedev won at the same stage last year but lost the final to Novak Djokovic. Tsitsipas beat No 11 Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-4 6-2. Facing defeat on Wednesday, Medvedev got a break. A six-minute delay in the third-set tiebreaker for the roof on Rod Laver Arena to be closed during a rain shower swung the momentum mostly his way.
Auger-Aliassime won only one of the last six points in the tiebreaker after dominating for the first two sets. He missed a match point on Medvedev`s serve in the 10th game of the fourth set. Medvedev saved it with a big first serve out wide and then held with an overhead winner. "I was not playing my best, and Felix was playing unbelievable, serving unbelievable he was all over me," Medvedev said. "I didn`t know what to do so I (asked) myself, What would Novak do?` "And I just thought, OK, I`m going to make him work. If he wants to win it, he has to ... fight to the last point." The 25-year-old Russian broke Auger-Aliassime`s serve in the next game game and held to level the match at two-sets all. He then got another service break when the 21-year-old Canadian double-faulted in the third game of the deciding set. It still wasn`t over yet. Serving for the match, Medvedev had to save two break points before closing it out about an hour after saving a match point. Auger-Aliassime had lost all three previous matches against the second-ranked Medvedev, including a straight-set loss in the US Open semifinals last September. But he was the aggressor in the first two sets, keeping Medvedev off balance with his forehand, up-tempo game and athleticism.
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