MASON, Ohio — Novak Djokovic overcame concerns about his right elbow but couldn’t prevail over Daniil Medvedev‘s 14 aces, as the Russian pulled out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 stunning victory over the world No. 1 in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open.
Djokovic got the muscles around his right elbow rubbed during his quarterfinal win on Friday night and showed no sign of a problem a day later.
Djokovic won the tournament for the first time last year, getting the only Masters 1000 title that had eluded him. This one slipped away in the second set.
Medvedev reached the final at Montreal last week and lost to Rafael Nadal. He’s back to a title match again after fighting off a break point midway through the second set and closing with a flurry, winning 12 of the last 14 points to even the match and take the momentum.
He’ll face David Goffin, who reached his first Masters 1000 final by beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4 . Goffin also is on an upswing after falling to No. 33 in the ATP rankings on June 10, his lowest since September 2014.
“Of course, it was a tough period there,” Goffin said. “I was coming back from injuries. I had some trouble with my confidence. I couldn’t find my rhythm, my game. So it’s great now. I’m feeling great. I’m back at my best tennis.”
The men’s bracket also took several notable hits throughout the week.
Originally billed as a reunion of the Big Four — Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray together for the first time since January — it quickly lost its luster.
Nadal dropped out after winning the Rogers Cup, citing fatigue. Murray played singles for the first time since hip surgery in January and lost his opening match. And Federer, the seven-time champion, failed to reach the weekend, losing in the quarterfinals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.