Key Takeaways
- Daniil Medvedev suffered a straight-sets elimination in the fourth round of the US Open, losing 7-6(1) 6-4 7-6 to Frances Tiafoe.
- The former champion was critical of his own execution on crucial points, remarking, “The reality is I lost three sets to love and I know I can play 10 times better than I did today.”
- Medvedev dismissed crowd and venue factors, acknowledging, “If I’m happy with the fourth round, I better stop playing tennis, so I’m not happy with the result.”
Regrets over missed chances in fourth-round defeat
Daniil Medvedev saw his run in New York come to an abrupt end in the fourth round of the US Open, falling 7-6(1) 6-4 7-6 to Frances Tiafoe. The former champion struggled to capitalize on crucial openings throughout the contest, exiting in straight sets despite having clear opportunities to claim both the first and third chapters of the encounter.
Reflecting on the match immediately afterward, Medvedev conceded that his execution in decisive moments proved insufficient. “Tough match. Just didn’t play good enough to win. And that’s kind of it. Yeah,” the former champion admitted bluntly during his press conference.
When questioned about whether Tiafoe gained momentum from the energetic Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd, Medvedev dismissed external venue factors as the determining element. “Not really. I think I should have played better in some moments of the match,” he explained. “I should have made better shots, better decisions, actually. And that’s what made the difference in important moments.”
Self-belief and Grand Slam standards
Medvedev pinpointed key stages of the opening set where the match slipped away, notably after trading breaks early on. “When I served at 65 I should have done much better on the first tie break probably as well,” he assessed. “The first set I feel like I could do much better in many moments.” Even with racket switches during the tiebreaks to gain comfort, the adjustments failed to turn the tide.
Addressing the pressure of capturing further major crowns and questions surrounding the historical gap between titles, Medvedev remained frank about his current self-assessment. “At this moment, I guess I’m doubting myself a little bit and that’s the case of today’s match,” he remarked. “The reality is I lost three sets to love and I know I can play 10 times better than I did today. Was it a bad match? No, but I can play so much better and if I want to win Grand Slams, I need to play better.”
Looking forward after an inconsistent summer swing
While acknowledging that advancing through the initial rounds offered an improvement over his lead-up events, Medvedev refused to take consolation in a last-16 finish. “If I’m happy with the fourth round, I better stop playing tennis, so I’m not happy with the result,” he insisted, having previously navigated past Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets before meeting Tiafoe.
Evaluating his opponent’s disciplined performance, Medvedev pointed out Tiafoe’s steadiness as the subtle factor separating them on the day. “I feel like he played like he plays maybe a bit less errors. That’s how I would say was the biggest difference probably,” Medvedev noted. “It’s a matter of making shots when you need to make them making serves when you need to make them putting pressure in important moments and stuff like this. And again this is all of what I didn’t manage to do well enough today and all of what he managed to do well enough today.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0lXWCXFyAA
ATP U.S. Open - Frances Tiafoe's projected path
Tiafoe at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2026
Currently ranked no.12, Tiafoe has a composed 42-16 record in 2026. The American is now playing at the U.S. Open where he overcame the world no.90 Martin Damm 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3 6-4, the world no.157 Rei Sakamoto 6-3 7-6(2) 7-5, the world no.23 Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2 6-4 and the world no.8 Daniil Medvedev 7-6(1) 6-4 7-6.
Frances Tiafoe will compete against the world no.46 Alex Michelsen in the quarter. Their actual head to head record is 2-0 for Tiafoe.
Frances clinched 1 title in 2026 in Halle.
Tiafoe won 4 titles in his career: 1 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 2 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Daniil Medvedev in 2026
Currently the world no.8, Daniil played his last match on the 6th of September when he capitulated to world no.12 Francis Tiafoe 7-6(1) 6-4 7-6 in the 4th round of the U.S. Open (draw).
Presently, during this year the Russian has managed to achieve a compiled 34-17 record. Medvedev conquered 2 titles in 2026 in Brisbane and Dubai.
Frances Tiafoe and Daniil Medvedev clashed against each other 9 times. Their actual record is 6-3 for Medvedev.
