Rafael Nadal to Meet Daniil Medvedev in the US Open Finals

Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev will play for the US Open title tomorrow. The two guys set the clash last night after successfully overcoming their opponents in the semis.

Nadal was better than Matteo Berrettini, while Medvedev eliminated Grigor Dimitrov. Interestingly both matches lasted the same – 158 minutes.

Rafa didn’t have any problems against the Italian apart from the opening set when we saw a tiebreak. The Bull from Manacor won the match with 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-1, and earned a chance to take the fourth trophy here at Flushing Meadows. It will be his 19th Grand Slam title if he triumphs, which will bring him closer to Roger Federer who has 20. So far Nadal has been playing excellent in the US Open finals, losing just once.

“Another final of the Grand Slam, and another final here in Flushing Meadows means a lot to me,” said Rafa after the match.

Berrettini played very well up until the middle of the second set when he eventually lost the pace with Nadal. Although, he did have a chance to take the first set. Nadal had a set point on Berrettini’s serve, but the Italian saved himself at that moment. After that, when the tiebreak started, the guy from Rome reached a 6-4 lead and had two chances to seal the set in his favor. But the pressure was too high for him.

Rafa bounced back and made a four-point run which boosted his morale and took the clash into a totally different direction. He needed just one break in the second set to clinch that part of the event, while the last one turned out to be his pure domination.

Nadal knows that against Medvedev, things are going to be much tougher.

“He’s been playing the best tennis on tour this summer so he will be the toughest opponent in the final. I need to be playing at my best,” Rafa explained.

The Russian and the no.5 seed here is truly fantastic this summer. After two lost finals in Washington and Rogers Cup, he won Cincinnati and now reached another final, his first Grand Slam. The victim was Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

As in Nadal’s clash, the opening set was problematic for the winner, but apart from that, it was a routine for the Russian. Dimitrov had a set-point to open the match well, but he couldn’t use it.

Throughout the tiebreak, the fans had the opportunity to see one really interesting fight. At first, Dimitrov was ahead 0-2, when Medvedev responded with 4-2 and 5-3, but not for long before the Bulgarian leveled the score. Afterward, the Russian won two straight points and won the opening sequence.

The start of the second set saw four breakpoints in five games. At 5-4, Medvedev once again took Dimitrov’s serve and doubled the lead. It was all routine after that.

“When I came to the USA I didn’t know that it would be this good,” said Medvedev. “I have to say I love [the] USA.”

The Russian player leads the tour with 50 triumphs in this season, 37 of them on the hard court. He also became the third player in history since Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi to reach the finals of all four tournaments at the US Open Tour one after another.

Nadal and Medvedev played already this summer, in the finals of Rogers Cup. The Spaniard was more than confident back then, trashing his rival with 6-3, 6-0. It is the only match between the two.

The finals are scheduled for Sunday night local time.