Daniil Medvedev serves 2 double faults in a row on match point in US Open SF vs Carlos Alcaraz, hits back at cheering crowd with sarcastic thumbs up

Daniil Medvedev continued his love-hate relationship with the US Open crowd when he initially struggled to close out his semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz despite being match points up.

Daniil Medvedev stunned Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 US Open semifinal on Friday. The Russian, who was the underdog in the encounter, put on a strategic display. He outsmarted the defending champion 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to book his spot in the final after a grueling three hours and 19 minutes of play.

Despite his otherwise convincing performance, Medvedev felt the nerves while serving for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set. In the final moments, the former World No. 1 faced a resilient Alcaraz, who refused to back down and produced several break points during the deuce game.

Daniil Medvedev also failed to convert his first match point as he produced two back-to-back double faults to give the 20-year-old the advantage.

At this point, the crowd, who was seemingly eager to watch Carlos Alcaraz fight back, cheered for the World No. 1 by celebrating the Russian’s double faults.

Daniil Medvedev, who has developed a love-hate relationship with the New York crowd over the years, was visibly upset with their conduct and made his displeasure known by giving a sarcastic thumbs up. The crowd responded by booing him for his action.

The former champion was unable to close out on two other match points, but eventually capitalized on his fourth chance by hitting a final overhead winner.

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Daniil Medvedev sets up US Open final repeat with Novak Djokovic after victory over Carlos Alcaraz

Djokovic and Medvedev at the 2021 US Open

Daniil Medvedev defeated Christopher O’Connell, Sebastian Baez, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev before getting the better of Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 US Open semifinal. Doing so, he equaled his head-to-head tally against the Spaniard to 2-2.

The 27-year-old is now through to the fifth Grand Slam final of his career and a third at the US Open. In 2019, he was the runner-up against Rafael Nadal. In 2021, however, he won the title by defeating Novak Djokovic and subsequently crushed his Calender Slam dream.

In pursuit of his second Major trophy, the Russian has now set up a repeat final with the Serb.

Djokovic booked his place in the summit clash by defeating Alexandre Muller, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Laslo Dere, Borna Gojo, and Taylor Fritz before seeing off Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the semifinal on Friday.

The World No. 2 is aiming for a historic 24th Grand Slam title at the event and will have US Open revenge on his mind as he faces the Russian for the 15th time in their career on Sunday.

It is worth noting that while Novak Djokovic leads in the head-to-head 9-5, Daniil Medvedev has won their most recent match in the semifinals of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships.