US Open: No. 1 Jannik Sinner beats Daniil Medvedev to reach the semifinals

NEW YORK (AP) — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner used an aggressive, net-rushing style to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time by getting past 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday night.

Sinner — a 23-year-old from Italy who was cleared in a doping case less than a week before the U.S. Open started after testing positive twice for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid in March — will go up against No. 25 Jack Draper of Britain on Friday for a berth in the title match.

After Week 1 exits by Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner took over as the title favorite and now is the only man remaining in the field with a Grand Slam trophy. He won his first at the Australian Open in January by beating Medvedev in the final in five sets after dropping the first two.

As reflected by the accurate-as-can-be score, this matchup was unusually topsy-turvy as they took turns dominating a set at a time.

First, it was Sinner who was superior. Then that role was played Medvedev, the runner-up at Flushing Meadows to Djokovic last year and to Rafael Nadal in 2019. Then Sinner regained the upper hand in the third. In the fourth, from 3-all, Sinner surged, saving a pair of break points, then breaking Medvedev to lead 5-3.

“We know each other quite well. ... We knew it was going to be very physical," said Sinner, who lost to Medvedev in five sets at Wimbledon in July. "It was strange the first two sets, because whoever made the first break then started to roll.”

The key: Sinner won the point on 28 of his 33 trips to the net, including 9 of 11 on serve-and-volley approaches.

“We tried to work really hard on this aspect of the game,” Sinner said. “Trying just to mix up the game.”

Medvedev was particularly uneven. He only had one fewer winner than Sinner but finished with 19 more unforced errors.

Friday's other semifinal will be No. 12 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 20 Frances Tiafoe in the first all-American men's matchup at this stage at a major in 19 years.

The women's semifinals Thursday night are Jessica Pegula vs. Karolina Muchova, and Aryna Sabalenka vs. Emma Navarro. Pegula eliminated No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Draper reached his first Grand Slam semifinal — and became the first British man to get that far at the U.S. Open since Andy Murray won the 2012 trophy — by overwhelming No. 10 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.

Draper has won all 15 sets he's played so far, but things figure to get tougher against Sinner.

“This is not kind of like an overnight thing for me. I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things, and I knew that my time would come,” said Draper, whose upper right leg was taped by a trainer after he felt something at the end of the first set. “I didn’t know when it would be, but hopefully from here, I can do a lot of amazing things. I’m very proud of myself.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, follows through on a shot, which fails to clear the net, during his match against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, launches a ball after defeating Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, left, shakes hands after defeating Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, acknowledges the crowd after defeating Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, reacts after losing a point to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, returns to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns against Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, chases the ball on a return to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns to Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, pumps his fist after winning a point against Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, wipes his face during his match against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, leaps over the player's bench on a return against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, pumps his fist after winning a point against Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned their Israeli counterparts in a letter dated Sunday that the changes must occur. The letter, which restates U.S. policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers, was sent amid deteriorating conditions in northern Gaza and an Israeli airstrike on a hospital tent site in central Gaza that killed at least four people and burned others.

A similar letter that Blinken sent to Israeli officials in April led to more humanitarian assistance getting to the Palestinian territory, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday. But that has not lasted.

“In fact, it’s fallen by over 50% from where it was at its peak," Miller said at a briefing. "So the secretary, along with Secretary Austin, thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of Israel that there are changes that they need to make again, to see that the level of assistance making it into Gaza comes back up from the very, very low levels that it is at today.”

For Israel to continue qualifying for foreign military financing, the level of aid getting into Gaza must increase to at least 350 trucks a day, Israel must institute additional humanitarian pauses and provide increased security for humanitarian sites, Austin and Blinken said in their letter. They said Israel had 30 days to respond to the requirements.

“The letter was not meant as a threat," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "The letter was simply meant to reiterate the sense of urgency we feel and the seriousness with which we feel it, about the need for an increase, a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance.”

An Israeli official confirmed a letter had been delivered but did not discuss the contents. That official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a diplomatic matter, confirmed the U.S. had raised “humanitarian concerns” and was putting pressure on Israel to speed up the flow of aid into Gaza.

The letter, which an Axios reporter posted a copy of online, was sent during a period of growing frustration in the administration that despite repeated and increasingly vocal requests to scale back offensive operations against Hamas, Israel’s bombardment has led to unnecessary civilian deaths and risks plunging the region into a much wider war.

“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government, including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding 90 percent of humanitarian movements” and other restrictions have kept aid from flowing, Blinken and Austin said.

The Biden administration is increasing its calls for its ally and biggest recipient of U.S. military aid to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while assuring that America's support for Israel is unwavering just before the U.S. presidential election in three weeks.

Funding for Israel has long carried weight in U.S. politics, and Biden said this month that “no administration has helped Israel more than I have.”

Humanitarian aid groups fear that Israeli leaders may approve a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas, which could trap hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are unwilling or unable to leave their homes without food, water, medicine and fuel.

U.N. humanitarian officials said last week that aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months. About 80 trucks carrying aid have entered through crossings in Gaza’s north since Oct. 1, down from roughly 60 trucks a day previously, according to the U.N. website tracking deliveries.

COGAT, the Israeli body facilitating aid crossings into Gaza, denied that crossings to the north have been closed.

U.S. officials said the letter was sent to remind Israel of both its obligations under international humanitarian law and of the Biden administration’s legal obligation to ensure that the delivery of American humanitarian assistance should not be hindered, diverted or held up by a recipient of U.S. military aid.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The Hamas attacks that launched the war killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants abducted another 250.

The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project.

That aid has enabled Israel to purchase billions of dollars worth of munitions it has used in its operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, many of those strikes also have killed civilians in both areas.

AP reporter Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a news conference during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Tang Chhin Sothy/Pool Photo via AP)