US Open: Russian Daniil Medvedev lashed for gamesmanship in defeat of Alex de Minaur

An extra long break to deal with breathing problems crushed Alex de Minaur’s momentum and propelled a controversial Russian to victory at the US Open.

A controversially long break after losing the first set to Alex de Minaur fuelled a stunning comeback from Daniil Medvedev, who ended the top-ranked Australian’s US Open run with a comprehensive four-set victory.

After a hectic schedule in the lead-in, de Minaur, who took the first set 6-2 before being overrun in the next three, conceded he hit the wall after being overrun in the “brutal” New York heat and his famed fitness “let me down”.

“That’s 100 per cent what happened and it’s probably the first time in my career that kind of fitness let me down” he said after the defeat.

“It’s not something that happens. I back myself every day of the year.

“I think there was no lack of confidence to beat him. I knew what I had to do to hurt him and ... I showed it until my legs went away.

“And then suddenly I had to try and scramble, finding different ways of playing, and you can’t do that against a player of the calibre of Daniil.”

Medvedev, the 2021 champion, complained of breathing issues after losing the first in their fourth round clash and raced off Louis Armstrong Arena, taking all his gear, which commentator Todd Woodbridge lashed as “gamesmanship”.

Having previously called on tournament medical staff to bring him an inhaler, Medvedev spent a long time in the locker room, which cruelled all of de Minaur’s first-set momentum.

“A 31-minute set, Medvedev leaves the court, took his whole bag … why do you need to leave the court for that long?” Woodbridge said, fuming.

“It’s not a toilet break, is he changing his full kit? Shouldn’t that be at a certain time?

Alex de Minaur waits for Daniil Medvedev. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

“I tell you, I think our sport really has to do something about these changeovers. It’s just such a crutch that everyone seems to go to when they’re down, and it’s just not part of the game.”

When Medvedev returned he brought his grand slam best, scorching through the next three sets to record a convincing 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-2 victory for the world No.3, serving out the final game to love to end a two-match losing streak against his Australian opponent.

Medvedev called the conditions – pronounced heat and humidity – “brutal” and said they impacted him early before he recovered.

“One moment I thought I’m not going to be able to play until the end it was so tough,” he said.

“Then I looked at him and he’s one of the best guys physically by far and he was starting to move less and less, so I was like, ‘OK, let’s go to five’.

“Some people bear better with the heat, some people worse. I feel like I‘m not the best one in this case. At the same time I feel like I fight many times through it quite well, so that’s kind of what happened today.”

Medvedev was accused of gamesmanship. Picture: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

De Minaur, the last Australian standing in the event, has only ever reached one grand slam quarter-final, at the US Open in 2020, and despite having his best year against top-10 ranked players, with six victories, he’s been unable to take the next step at the majors.

The 24-year-old, who has jumped to a career-high ranking of 12, had also beaten Medvedev twice in 2023 but, in their first grand slam encounter, was unable to go with the former world No.1 for more than the opening two sets.

Medvedev thrives in New York, where he has now won 25 of his past 27 matches, including his title-winning run in 2021.