The top two remaining seeds in the men’s draw will face off on Friday as No. 2 Dominic Thiem and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev fight for a spot in the US Open final.
Medvedev, who lost a five-set match to Novak Djokovic in last year’s US Open final, comes into the semifinal matchup as a very slight -115 favorite over Thiem (-105), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Medvedev Yet to Drop a Set
Both Thiem and Medvedev have been impressive thus far, but the Russian has looked particularly dominant. Medvedev has yet to lose a set at the US Open, and didn’t face a single break point during his 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win over countryman Andrey Rublev in his quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Thiem is also coming off a straight-sets win, having beaten Alex De Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Thiem has dropped only a single set so far, which came against Marin Cilic in his third-round match.
The winner of the Thiem vs. Medvedev clash will be favored in the final, but they’ll hardly get a walkover on Sunday. The other semifinal features No. 5 Alexander Zverev taking on No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta. Zverev lost the first set in three of his first five matches, but has otherwise looked sharp. Carreno Busta took advantage of Djokovic’s default, but then impressed in a five-set win over Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals.
Zverev enters the semifinal as a -300 favorite over Carreno Busta (+235). Overall, Medvedev stands as the +130 favorite to win the US Open ahead of Thiem (+140), with Zverev (+430) and Carreno Busta (+1800) facing longer odds.
Osaka, Azarenka Reach US Open Women’s Final
On Thursday, the US Open held the women’s semifinals, with Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka advancing to set up a rematch of the final of the Western & Southern Open – a match that never took place.
Osaka defeated Jennifer Brady 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-3 in a back-and-forth affair that featured big hitting from both players.
“It means a lot for me. I kind of consider New York my second home,†Osaka said after her win. “I kind of love the atmosphere, even though there’s no people here. I feel like this court kind of suits me well.â€
Serena Williams jumped out to a fast start against Azarenka, building a 4-0 lead in the first set to take control early. Williams was playing better than she had throughout the US Open, while Azarenka looked lost after showing great form over the past two weeks.
But Azarenka began to stabilize the match late in the first set before taking over in the second to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. The result ended Williams’ bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.
“I started really strong and she just kept fighting,†Williams said afterward. “She started playing better and better. Maybe I took too much off the gas pedal at some point.â€
Both Azarenka and Osaka are undefeated since coming to New York for the Western & Southern Open, which preceded the US Open. The two both reached the final of that tournament, but Osaka withdrew due to an injured left hamstring, handing Azarenka the title.
Osaka will enter Saturday’s final as a -180 favorite over Azarenka (+146). Both women are seeking their third career Grand Slam titles.
