Tiafoe outlasts old rival Medvedev as he continues US Open run

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tiafoe-frances/AHDLJaph/"]Tiafoe[/a] trailed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/medvedev-daniil/O8qG0Nhb/"]Medvedev[/a] 1-6 in career head-to-head before ‌Sunday - his only victory coming at the team ‌competition Laver Cup - but cracked the code when it mattered to ‌him the most, repeatedly striking near the net with ‌surgical precision.[/p][p][b]"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,"[/b] said the 11th seed. [b]"Everything is ⁠feeling really good. I'm ‌coming forward, I'm having fun."[/b][/p][embed guid="1316a2ae-0304-4351-8925-f8c20025f08b" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkr70c4Vhx4" social-type="youtube" /][p]Tiafoe will next play compatriot [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/michelsen-alex/nDIhfm9l/"]Alex Michelsen[/a].[/p][p]Down ​[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/medvedev-d-O8qG0Nhb/tiafoe-f-AHDLJaph/?mid=tWxmSP8b"]5-6[/a] in the opening set, Tiafoe broke his opponent from the baseline to force the tiebreak, where ​he ran up on the net to control the early tempo and never looked back.[/p][p]He sent a forehand down ⁠the line to break ​the Russian in the fifth game of the second set and survived a fantastic cat-and-mouse exchange on the third set point with a perfectly placed backhand volley that even Medvedev ‌applauded.[/p][embed guid="197b4c91-2d6e-4a1c-83af-87433719e1ee" url="https://x.com/usopen/status/2096729157199610214?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The pair traded early breaks before settling into a tense, final-set battle, where Tiafoe did some of his best work playing serve-and-volley tennis, with both players making scarce few mistakes.[/p][p]Medvedev's double fault was the only flaw in an otherwise sensational final tiebreak, where Tiafoe outfoxed his rival in a rapid-fire exchange at the net to save set point and get the crowd on their feet.[/p][p]Tiafoe is now unbeaten ‌through 10 appearances at Louis Armstrong Stadium, which plays second ​fiddle at Flushing Meadows to the stately [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ashe-arthur/K2mpyJg3/"]Arthur Ashe[/a] ‌court but has clearly earned the affection of the charismatic American fan favorite.[/p][p][b]"It's been amazing playing on this court, the energy has been amazing," [/b]said Tiafoe, who basked in the cheers after forcing Medvedev into an ⁠error from the baseline ⁠on match point. [b]"It's like ‌the people's court."[/b][/p][embed guid="155ec4f1-5362-4102-8410-029ec5c9a4ae" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-oeN9TwKZg" social-type="youtube" /]