Thiem, Medvedev seal semi-final spots

In a quarter-final clash that lasted two hours and four minutes on Wednesday, Thiem got the better of 21st seed de Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to become the first Austrian to reach the last four at the Flushing Meadows. “From the first moment, I had a great feeling,” said Thiem, who will face 2019 US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev of Russia for a place in the summit clash.

“There is no Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. But, there are guys like Daniil, Alexander Zverev and Pablo Carreno Busta. They are three amazing players. Each one of us deserves this first major title. Everyone will give it all. Once we step on court, the other three players are forgotten anyway,” added Thiem. Third seed Medvedev continued his march towards a first Grand Slam title by defeating childhood friend Andrey Rublev 7-6(6), 6-3, 7-6(5).

The first Russian duo in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko at Roland Garros in 2007, Medvedev put on a ruthless display that sent him through to the last-four without losing a set. Medvedev never gave tenth seed Rublev a break chance, while hammering down 16 aces.

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus stormed into her first Grand Slam semi-final since 2013 after a dominant performance against No.16 seed Elise Mertens (Belgium). On Wednesday, unseeded Azarenka looked her vintage best as she defeated Mertens 6-1, 6-0 in an hour and 13 minutes.

She will next face six-time champion Serena Williams (USA), who staged a stellar comeback against unranked Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and registered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win in her quarter-final match. The semi-final between Azarenka and Serena will be a repeat of the 2012 and 2013 US Open finals, where the 23-time Grand Slam title-winner came up trumps.

Men’s singles: Dominic Thiem (Austria) beat Alex de Minaur (Australia) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4; Daniil Medvedev (Russia) beat Andrey Rublev (Russia) 7-6(6), 6-3, 7-6(5).

Women’s singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Elise Mertens (Belgium) 6-1, 6-0; Serena Williams (USA) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.