Title favourite Daniil Medvedev survives major scare to book semi-final spot

Daniil Medvedev saved a match point and recovered from two sets to love down to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime and reach his fifth grand slam semi-final at the Australian Open.

Another night of high drama at Melbourne Park saw the title favourite pushed to the brink before turning the match around to win 6-7 (4) 3-6 7-6 (2) 7-5 6-4 and set up a rematch of last year’s semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“I was not playing my best and Felix was playing unbelievable, serving unbelievable,” said Medvedev.

“I didn’t really know what to do. I don’t know if you’re going to like this but I told myself, ‘What would Novak do?’ What came into my mind, I just thought, ‘OK, I’m going to make him work. If he wants to win it, he’s going to have to fight until the last point’. I managed to raise my level.”

Medvedev had worn the mantle of favourite well following Novak Djokovic’s deportation but it was clear from the start of this match that the US Open champion had his work cut out.

Auger-Aliassime, 21, has begun 2022 with a new steel, helping Canada to the ATP Cup title despite a heavy defeat against Medvedev in the semi-finals.

He matched Medvedev from the back of the court, putting doubt into the mind of the second seed during a series of lengthy exchanges, and two double faults in the first-set tie-break proved costly.

Medvedev looked to his box in exasperation while Auger-Aliassime, who lost in straight sets to the Russian in the last four in New York, pressed home his advantage in the second set and looked for a break in the third.

Medvedev held on, though, and, after an ill-timed rain break to close the roof at 2-1 in the tie-break, capitalised on some loose play from his opponent to force a fourth set.

The contest remained on a