Dominic Thiem doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity he was given after the disqualification of Novak Djokovic in the current US Open. The Austrian, top seed alive in the tournament, He appeared in the round of 16 with good feelings after avoiding in his last match a scare from Marin Cilic (who won this big one in 2014). His rival was Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, only 20 years old, who was achieving the best result of his short career in a Grand Slam. But that is where the Canadian adventure came, who was clearly surpassed by Thiem by 7-6 (4), 6-1 and 6-1 in just two hours of the game.
The first round was the most even of the match. When Thiem served to take it, Auger-Aliassime took advantage of his second break ball of the set to send it off. to the tie break, in which a single loss of service by the Canadian was lethal to his interests. From that moment on, Thiem grew and there was no room for surprises. He took advantage of 5 of 7 break balls between the second and third sets, struck quickly and in which the amount of unforced errors of Auger-Aliassime stood out (50 in the whole game), to which his nerves showed in one of the most important games of his early career. Thiem is already in the quarterfinals for only second time in seven appearances at the US Open, where in 2020 you have a golden opportunity to add his first Grand Slam.
To do this, in the quarterfinals he will have to overcome another young man of great talent, Álex de Miñaur in this case, 21 years old. The Australian outplayed Vasek Pospisil, Roberto Bautista's executioner in the previous round. De Miñaur reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career after beating the Canadian in just over two hours by 7-6 (6), 6-3 and 6-2. Pospisil did not over-exploit his first serve (9 aces), and suffered too much with his second (32% of points won).
One of the most attractive matches of the day was the one that faced Matteo Berrettini, sixth seed, and Andrey Rublev, tenth seed. Both reached these eighth without having lost a single set. Finally, after almost three hours of play and after a comeback, the Russian took the duel for 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and 6-3. Berrettini, semi-finalist of the tournament last year, gave the first blow, but Rublev knew how to react to take a match marked by equality. The keys to the game arrived The result of the lack of concentration by the Italian, a very passionate player, who gave up 44 points through unforced errors, and only took advantage of 1 of 8 break balls (Rublev won 4 of 9).
Rublev's opponent in the quarters, to those who arrive in a Grand Slam for the second time in their life (the first was at the US Open 2017), he will be his compatriot Daniil Medvedev. The also Russian easily beat American Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-1 and 6-0. Medvedev, finalist of the tournament in its last edition, he has not lost a single set at this US Open, and he handcuffed Tiafoe from start to finish during the scarce hour and a half that the match lasted. One of the anecdotes of the match was when, in the first round, after a point fought with both in the network, the American threw the ball into Medvedev's body, who responded with a balloon to win the point. At that moment, a desperate Tiafoe gave away a comb, surely directed towards the Russian. The rest of the game had little history, with just 7 winners and a French break option. Medvedev, therefore, is already in a quarter-final for the second time in his career.