As the second seed in the US Open, Daniil Medvedev is one of the favorites to win the hard court Grand Slam. Despite some of the top 10 seeds in the men’s singles category suffering shock exits, the Russian has dominated his opponents so far. In fact, he’s yet to drop a set in the tournament heading into the quarterfinals.

With Dominic Thiem missing the US Open, a new champion will emerge this year. During a recent appearance, the Austrian backed the World No. 2 to reach the final once again.

Dominic Thiem backs Daniil Medvedev to become a finalist in the US Open

Thiem enjoyed a memorable run in Flushing Meadows last year. He defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex De Minaur and Medvedev himself before facing Alexander Zverev in the final. Although the German won the first two sets, Thiem mounted a strong comeback to clinch his maiden Grand Slam in five sets.

However, a wrist injury earlier this year forced him to withdraw from this year’s US Open. While the Austrian recovers, he features on Tennis Channel as an analyst for their coverage of the final Grand Slam this year.

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When asked about Medvedev, Thiem believes his path to the final is relatively easier to other players. Hence, he backed the Russian to reach his second US Open final in three years. He said, “He’s still my best pick. Potentially, he has a little bit easier way to the finals, facing van de Zandschulp and then Felix or Alcaraz. So, he might go a little fresh in a potential final.”

Thiem also mentioned the difficulty of top seed Novak Djokovic‘s path to the final, which could put his quest towards making history in doubt. “While Nole, Brooksby, potentially Berrettini, then Sascha and then Daniil, which is a very tough path,” said the 28-year-old.

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Medvedev to face Van de Zandschulp on September 7

The second seed takes on Botic Van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, September 7. Given his current run of form, Medvedev should be a favorite to advance to the semifinals.

However, the Dutch qualifier will be no pushover in this match. He stunned eighth seed Casper Ruud and 11th seed Diego Schwartzman to reach the last eight in stunning fashion. Hence, Medvedev will need to stay on his toes to avoid another major upset in his quest for a maiden Grand Slam.

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