Danil Medvedev beat Andrey Rublev 6-4 7-5 in all-Russian quarter final in St. Petersburg.
Medvedev has won 20 of the 23 matches during his North American campaign. He won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, but he lost the finals in Washington to Nick Kyrgios and in Montreal to Rafael Nadal.
Medvedev hit 12 aces and won 70 % of his second serve return points.
Rublev earned the first break of the match in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Medvedev broke straight back in the fifth game and held his serve to draw level to 3-3. Medvedev broke for the second time in the ninth game to win the first set 6-4.
Both players traded breaks twice in the second set en route to drawing level to 5-5. Medvedev broke for the third time in the 11th game and served out the win on his first match point.
Medvedev will face Belarusian qualifier Egor Gerasimov, who beat this year’s US Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3). Berrettini is currently ninth in the ATP Race to London.
Both Gerasimov and Berrettini held their serve in the first seven games without facing any break points. Berrettini held his serve at deuce in the eighth game. Gerasimos saved a break point at 5-5 with a serve and volley. Gerasimov got a decisive mini-break at 5-5 with a drop-shot error from Berrettini to win the tie-break.
Gerasimov saved two break points on the fourth game at deuce to draw level to 2-2. Berrettini saved three break points in the ninth game with a smash and two aces and three more chances in the 11th game. Gerasimov held his serve at 15 to draw level to 6-6. The tie-break went on serve until 3-4 before Berrettini made a double fault and a forehand error. Gerasimov sealed the win on the first of his three match points.
Fourth-seeded player Borna Coric came back from one set down to beat Casper Ruud 3-6 7-5 6-3 setting up a semifinal against Joao Sousa, who beat 2010 St. Petersburg champion Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6 (10-8) 6-2.
