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january Melbourne (Reuters) - In a thrilling quarterfinal on Wednesday, third seed Daniil Medvedev had to go far in his reserves to defeat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 and go to the Australian Open final four for the third time.

The Russian, who had lost final matches at Melbourne Park twice, battled the huge Pole for nearly four exhausting hours on Rod Laver Arena before securing a matchup with either Alexander Zverev or Carlos Alcaraz.


With a winning lifetime record against Medvedev, ninth seed Hurkacz twice overcame a set down and had the Russian to work hard for every point.
With the most deft of drop shots, former U.S. Open champion Medvedev eventually earned a spot in his eighth Grand Slam semifinal despite grumbling and moaning throughout the match.

In the second round, Medvedev played five sets into the wee hours of the morning. "I'm so destroyed right now," he complained.

From the first set, it appears that the players are evenly matched. They both look strong on their first serves but are vulnerable on their second, giving up a break each.

Hurkacz emerged victorious in the second set, but Medvedev upped the ante in the tiebreak by diving into the net to demonstrate his volleying prowess.
The Pole was rewarded with a string of victories and an early lead, while Medvedev had to prove himself over the course of four deuces to keep the score from dropping to three.

"I thought I took advantage of every opportunity I had in every game. I'm quite pleased and proud of that. Since there aren't many opportunities when you're with him."

Despite saying he would take many advantages from reaching his second Grand Slam quarterfinal, Hurkacz, who converted five of fifteen break points, acknowledged that Medvedev had ultimately been too strong on a few crucial points.

"I wish I could have gone a little bit further, but still, you know, I gave it all today," he stated. "It wasn't enough."
 
HI-TEMPO START
With every return game from this point on, Hurkacz was seeing Medvedev's service, and he did manage his second break for 5-2 before holding to love to tie the match.


In the third set, it was Medvedev's turn to get off to a fast start. The Russian broke the Polish player twice to give him a break, which allowed him to go up 3-0.

..Hurkacz was still playing at his best with some excellent plays, and the score was tied at four.


In the fourth set, the 27-year-old broke early again, but Hurkacz was still giving it his all throughout some excellent tennis, and the two tied at 4-4.
In order to tie the match and gain momentum heading into the decider, when the Russian would undoubtedly be feeling the affects of his second round marathon, the Pole pounced to break Medvedev once more.

With patience and energy conservation, Medvedev waited for his chance to strike. He took advantage of a stunning backhand return that gave him a chance to tie the score at three and drove home the advantage to steal the important break.
The Russian held with difficulty but executed a flawless serve to seal the victory. After earning his second match point, he struck a balletic pose and blew kisses to his teammates.
"Tough matchup, but that makes me even happier to win and be in the semis," remarked Medvedev.