Daniil Medvedev has booked his place in the US Open semifinals with a hard-fought victory in New York, but sparked concern over extreme temperatures.
The World No. 4 sweated his way to a 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over 12th-seeded Diego Schwartzman at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The match was played in extremely hot conditions – with temperatures at a record 41C – with Medvedev showing obvious signs of exhaustion and discomfort.
“It was really tough,” the 24-year-old said after the match.
“I think if it was 33C or 35C like it was for two days, I don’t think I would have been that tired after the match. But it was really brutal today.”
Medvedev called for more analysis before scheduling matches in such conditions in future.
“As a player, we have no right to say ‘okay, it’s 43C, do whatever you want’. I think we have to do it in a sensible manner,” he said.
Medvedev will face off against 19th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the semis on Saturday night.
