Daniil Medvedev is still the Russian to beat at the Australian Open

Daniil Medvedev (Dacoucou, Wikimedia Commons)

There is no doubt the biggest story at the 2021 Australian Open has been the play of Aslan Karatsev of Russia. What Karatsev has been able to accomplish in Melbourne over the last 10 days is stunning. He is not only the fifth qualifier to reach the semifinals of a men’s grand slam tournament in the Open Era, but the first men’s player ever to reach the semifinals in his main draw debut of a major.

As we approach the semifinals of the Australian Open starting Thursday (in front of a crowd at Rod Laver Arena of 50% capacity), Karatsev is not the only Russian we need to keep an eye on. That is because the fourth-seed Daniil Medvedev, is still in the main draw. There is no doubt that Medvedev would be considered the slight favourite against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Karatsev is the gigantic underdog against world number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

On Wednesday, we saw why Medvedev needs to be considered a serious threat to win his first grand slam title. His ability to go from defense to offense within rallies was spectacular. Medvedev was in complete control of his quarterfinal match before defeating the seventh-ranked Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.

Now it will be interesting to see how Medvedev fairs against Tsitsipas in the semifinals. Tsitsipas should benefit from a pro-Greek crowd, however, he may not have much energy left in the tank after his dramatic five-set win over the great Rafael Nadal of Spain in the quarterfinals.

In women’s action, the other two semifinalists have been determined. They are the 25th ranked Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, and the 22nd ranked Jennifer Brady of the United States. On Wednesday, Muchova beat the first-ranked Ashleigh Barty of Australia 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. While Brady beat fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The other women’s semifinal has the third-ranked Naomi Osaka of Japan against the 10th-seed American Serena Williams. This will be the first time Osaka and Williams have played against each other at a major since their historic final at the 2018 US Open, won by Osaka.

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