As he went on the baseline with the tiebreak level at 11-11, there was a period not long ago when this could have ended in an anti-climax. But not these days. Under immense pressure, Kyrgios put on the purest display of his ball-striking talent, exploding for a down-the-line backhand and immediately following it up with a minute drop shot winner that set the tone for what was to come. In an intense, high-quality match that felt much bigger than just a fourth-round showdown, Kyrgios’ career-best summer lasted another day as he defeated Medvedev, the defending champion and world No. 1, 7-6 ( 11-9) , 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career. It’s another step forward in a year where Kyrgios has learned how to manage himself more professionally, focusing on how to optimize his success on court. Kyrgios is now a supreme 35-9 in 2022. He has won more matches than any other player this summer and if given those 1200 points from his final run at Wimbledon, he would be comfortably in the top eight in the ATP event. right behind Medvedev himself. Despite Kyrgios’ fourth-round pricing and seeding, this was a heavyweight battle between the best and most experienced players in the top half of the draw. The quality and intensity emanating from them in the opening games alone underlined their mutual respect. For an hour, despite how well Kyrgios had played, Medvedev refused to go away. He came back brilliantly, deflecting a 134mph serve inches from the baseline, and infuriated Kyrgios with his defence, absorbing all the changes of pace, direction and spin. They traded breaks and then dueled deep into the first set tiebreak. But Kyrgios’ boldness was the difference. After Medvedev saved Kyrgios’ third set, the Australian responded with a slick drop shot before closing out the set. By the end of the set, they had combined for 44 winners and just 20 unforced errors. The challenge, however, was to maintain such a high standard. Kyrgios’ level plummeted at the start of the second set. He immediately dropped his worst serve and after four games, he was already on the verge of taking the set. Medvedev, meanwhile, just didn’t lose. She committed just five unforced errors as she leveled the match. For all the quality tennis, there was also a certain moment of silliness. At 1-0, 30-30 on Medvedev’s serve, Medvedev stuck his hand out to his right after a hard pass from Kyrgios. The ball hit Medvedev’s racket and flew high into the sky. It would have bounced off Medvedev’s side, but caught in the euphoria of a superb point, Kyrgios sprinted to Medvedev’s side of the court and tossed the ball into the air in celebration, a smile on his face. Because the ball hadn’t bounced yet, Medvedev lost the point. Not even Kyrgios, a man who could hide in his own shadow, could argue with the call. What could have been a decisive misjudgment at a pivotal moment was just a minor detour en route to victory. Two games later, Kyrgios played his best return game of the match, taking advantage of Medvedev dropping early serves, easily breaking the Russian’s serve to build a third-set lead. From that point on, it was pretty much business as Kyrgios played at a stratospheric level, cruised through the rest of the set and never looked back as he dismissed last year’s champion and moved on. Medvedev arrived at the US Open with the biggest target on his back, but without the form to hold off his challengers. Although he hasn’t played badly, the drop in form from last year is clear. Of the six finals he reached last year, he has won just one title. In previous iterations of this matchup, such as their second round at the Australian Open in January, Medvedev would be the player to hold his level as Kyrgios missed. But Kyrgios is a changed player these days and stood his ground until the end. Kyrgios has never played well in New York, his previous best being a third-round finish, yet he is now the clear favorite in his first quarter-final. He had started this tournament talking about how much he was looking forward to the end of the US Open when he could fly home and be reunited with his family, but he has once again delayed his departure. Kyrgios next faces 27th seed Karen Khachanov, who reached her first US Open quarter-final by overcoming Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
