Tiafoe beats old rival Medvedev to reach US Open 2026 quarterfinals

Frances Tiafoe improved his head-to-head record against Daniil Medvedev to move into the quarterfinals of the US Open. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Frances Tiafoe beat former champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6) to ​reach the US Open quarterfinal on Sunday.

The American had a poor head-to-head record against Medvedev heading into the game (1-6), but ensured that would not be a hindrance in front of his home fans.

“Daniil has been so good, he’s beaten ‌me so many times. This is the first ‌time ⁠I’ve beaten him in a regular match,” said ⁠the 11th seed. “Everything is feeling really good. I’m coming forward, I’m having fun.”

Tiafoe was down 5-6 in the opening set against the 2021 winner but managed to break his opponent to force a tiebreak and steal the set.

A forehand down the line in the fifth game of the second set put him a break up and held on to convert his third set point.

The final set saw a swift exchange of breaks, which petered into a tiebreak with Tiafoe opting for some serve-and-volley tennis. Tiafoe held his ground at the net on set point and turned it around to complete just his second win over the lanky Russian.

“It’s been amazing playing on this court, the energy has been amazing,” ‌said Tiafoe, who basked in the cheers after forcing Medvedev into an error from the baseline on match ​point. “It’s like the people’s court.”