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Soaked with sweat as the temperature neared 35 degrees Celsius on the hottest day at this year\u2019s US Open, 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev walked slowly to towel off between points of his victory over Andrey Rublev, looked into a courtside camera and issued what sounded like a mix between a warning and a plea.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot imagine,\u201d he said. \u201cOne player [is] gonna die, and they\u2019re gonna see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was brutal,\u201d Medvedev, a 27-year-old Russian seeded No. 3, said after eliminating Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows for the fourth time on Wednesday (Thursday AEST). \u201cThe only good thing I see in these conditions is that both [players] suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n
An AP analysis shows that it is feeling hotter and hotter at grand slam tournaments in recent decades, reflecting the climate change seen in heat waves around the globe this summer. Week two at the US Open is pushing players to the limit.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re using ice \u2013 so much ice, in plastic bags or wrapped in towels \u2013 and courtside tubes blowing cold air to try to stay cool.<\/p>\n
Medvedev used an inhaler during a second-set changeover Wednesday while being checked on by a doctor, who checked his breathing with a stethoscope. Rublev leaned back on his sideline chair as if he would rather be anywhere else.<\/p>\n
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Daniil Medvedev cools down during his match against Andrey Rublev.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the first set, I couldn\u2019t see the ball anymore,\u201d Medvedev said, adding that he looked across the net at No.8 seed Rublev \u2013 his countryman, good pal and godfather to his daughter \u2013 and thought: \u201cWow. It seems like he cannot run any more.\u201d<\/p>\n Medvedev wore a white towel around his neck during the on-court interview after finishing off the two-hour, 48-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium and said he was looking forward to a cold shower. Under a new rule adopted on Tuesday for the rest of the event, the US Tennis Association partially closed the retractable Ashe roof \u2013 normally used to block out rain \u2013 to provide some additional protection from the sun for spectators and competitors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe immediate impact is specifically that more fans were shaded,\u201d tournament referee Jake Garner said on Tuesday, \u201cand at the same time, the decision to close the roof puts the court in full shade, which does improve the conditions on court.\u201d<\/p>\n One unintended result: The shadows can make it hard to see the tennis balls as they zip through the air.<\/p>\n Rublev feels the heat.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Zheng Qinwen, the No.23 seed who defeated 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur in her previous match, said that dynamic bothered her during a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Aryna Sabalenka.<\/p>\n Sabalenka won 20 of the initial 24 points to race to a 5-0 lead after just 17 minutes.<\/p>\n She reached the semi-finals for the fifth major in a row and will rise from No.2 to No.1 in the WTA rankings next week, replacing 2022 US Open champion Iga Swiatek, who exited in the fourth round.<\/p>\n As for the weather? Sabalenka, a 25-year-old from Belarus, said her training base in the United States prepared her well for the heat and humidity, which rose above 50 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it was hot, but because I did my preparation in Florida \u2013 I mean, what can be worse than Florida? I mean, in July and June, you know. Not, like, overall,\u201d said Sabalenka, who has dropped a total of just 21 games through five matches over the past one and a half weeks. \u201cSo I think that\u2019s really [helping] me today to stay strong and [not] really get tired because of the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n She improved to 7-0 in major quarter-finals as she seeks her second slam trophy to go alongside the one she won at the Australian Open in January.<\/p>\n Sabalenka will meet reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic or 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys in the semi-finals. The other women\u2019s semi-final will be No.6 Coco Gauff against No.10 Karolina Muchova.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n