New York | Sinner and Medvedev set up blockbuster quarter final.

Jannik Sinner will take on Daniil Medvedev for a place in this year’s US Open semi-final as both players chase their second grand slam title.

It’s going to be a lot of rallies, so hopefully I’ll be ready physically. It’s going to be a physical match, also a mental match Jannik Sinner

Sinner, who won the Australian Open at the start of the year and Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, reached the quarter finals with very contrasting matches.

Sinner, as world No1 and title favourite having won five titles this season, had to produce some of his very best tennis to beat American favourite Tommy Paul under the lights on Arthur Ashe, to fill the remaining quarter final spot after Medvedev, had earlier routed Nuno Borges.

The Italian won 7-6(3) 7-6(5) 6-1 in just under three hours while the Russian required nearly two hours to win 6-0 6-1 6-3.

The pair have faced each other twice this season sharing the spoils, Sinner in Australia with Medvedev then avenging that defeat at Wimbledon so with everything to play for, their quarter final clash should be a blockbuster of an encounter.

“Tough match. It’s going to be a lot of rallies, so hopefully I’ll be ready physically. It’s going to be a physical match, also a mental match,” Sinner said in his on-court interview about playing Medvedev.

“I won in Australia, he then won in Wimbledon. That was five sets. So hopefully it’s going to be a good match. We’ll try to do our best on court, hopefully you guys enjoy the next one and then we’ll see how it goes.”

Having battled from two breaks down in the first set and had to work hard throughout, Sinner used his baseline power and jaw-dropping shot making to secure his three-set victory over Paul, and the cheering crowd who favoured the home player.

“It’s a huge honour to play on this court here,” Sinner said. “The evening session is always very, very nice. Thanks everyone for the support, it’s amazing,

“I thought that we both didn’t play our best tennis. It was a little breezy, a little windy, so we tried to find our rhythm a little bit. I found it a little bit [better] at the end of the match, but I can be very proud. Today was a tough opponent, so I’m very happy to be in the next round.”

And he should be proud, as he is only the eighth men’s player since 2000 to reach the last eight in all four majors.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

While Sinner can play on any surface, Medvedev is known to favour hard-courts having won more tour-level matches (268) on that surface than any other player since 2018.

And he certainly looked very much at home on Arthur Ashe Stadium where he crushed his Portuguese opponent converting eight of 16 break points he raised.

“I try to work hard. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “There are days when it is tougher to go out on court and practise, but I have the mentality that if the other guy practises more than me, I have less chances to win, and I want to win all the time. So I try to practise as much as I can.

“I’ve had a lot of success here at the US Open and last time I lost in the fourth round was against you (Nick Kyrgios, who was conducting the on court interview for Sky).. Good memories.”

The 28-year-old, who has dropped just one set across his four matches to date, has been very much under the radar over the past four rounds as a potential winner this year at Flushing Meadows, but he should not be underestimated.