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US Open Day 5: Medvedev emerges as new tennis villain, Keys battles through illness

By Veronica Elizabeth Bruno

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Daniil Medvedev of Russia argues with the chair umpire during his Men's Singles third round match against Feliciano Lopez of Spain on day five of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 30, 2019 in Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Daniil Medvedev of Russia argues with the chair umpire during his Men's Singles third round match against Feliciano Lopez of Spain on day five of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 30, 2019 in Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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Madison Keys is getting closer to booking her second US Open final. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev not only fought off Feliciano Lopez in the penultimate match of the evening, but also the crowd that booed him the whole time.

Madison Keys has impressed in all her matches at the US Open so far, not having dropped a set yet. The all-American matchup with Sofia Kenin was billed as her first test, but the 24-year-old not only powered through her opponent, but also fought off a sickness that threatened to hamper her momentum, 6-3, 7-5.

“I was just super nauseous,” Keys said, afterwards, according to Tennis.com. “I won’t give you the gory details. I was happy to get through in two.”

It’s the second defeat Keys has dealt Kenin in a row, having ousted her in Cincinnati, where Keys won her breakthrough title.

It was a missed opportunity for Sonya Kenin, who has had a terrific year, having won her first two WTA titles, made the semis at several tournaments, including Canada, and famously defeated Serena Williams at the French. Considering that she is only 20, she will bounce back and continue to be a factor on the WTA stage.

https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1167757675037200391

Ashleigh Barty defeated one of the most formidable competitors on the WTA tour, Maria Sakkari, following up the defeat she handed her in Cincinnati, 7-5, 6-3. The Aussie is one match away from facing Serena Williams in a potential blockbuster quarterfinal.

Looking a bit shaky in the middle of the match, Karolina Pliskova was able to rally and pull through the win over Ons Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, in just over two hours. Pliskova is hoping to make a second US Open final, the only grand slam she’s progressed so far in.

2016 US Open winner Stan Wawrinka has been steadily building momentum all year, since taking time off to recuperate from double knee surgery last year. He’s back into the Top 30 and has progressed deep into several tournaments this year. He hit 63 impressive winners to get the win over Italian qualifier and lucky loser Paolo Lorenzi, 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6(4). Up next for the 34-year-old Wawrinka is Novak Djokovic. Think it will be a slam dunk for the dominating Serbian? Think again. The last time the two of them met at the US open, “Stan the Man” achieved his third grand slam victory, in 2016.

"“I played him twice in the final of a Grand Slam. I was full of confidence. I was playing well, moving well, at the top of my game. For sure I could only play the best tennis when it’s the final,” said a confident-sounding Wawrinka, according to the ATP."

Djokovic ended home turf hope of USA’s Denis Kudla, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The 16-time slam champion also was caught getting into a tiff with a disruptive spectator during his practice session earlier in the day.

The moment wasn’t lost on Nick Kyrgios, of course, who took the opportunity to troll Djokovic.

But the drama of the evening belonged to Daniil Medvedev, who won his match over popular player, Feliciano Lopez, one of the older players on the tour, 7-6(1), 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4. The Cincinnati Masters winner not only battled the Spaniard, but also the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd, who bristled at his code-violation tactics, including rudely grabbing a towel from a ball person, tossing his racquet and flipping off the crowd. The ill will didn’t stop him, however, from barreling ahead with the win. In fact, the NextGen player reveled in his unpopularity and mockingly thanked the crowd for inspiring his victory.

Brad Gilbert, commentating for ESPN, likened Medvedev to a “skinny wrestler-villain,” a role the 23-year-old seemed to relish. As of Friday night, the Russian established himself as the successor to Nick Kyrgios’s “bad boy” persona.

https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1167839853192470528

Say what you will, it made for a very entertaining end to the evening.

It certainly isn’t the first time Medvedev has courted controversy, and it likely won’t be the last.

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Stay tuned here for all your US Open and tennis action. For my predictions for the final slam of the year, listen to Just End the Suffering podcast here. The excitement will heat up as we head into the second week of the Open, with the Round of 16 beginning on Sunday, all viewable on ESPN.

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