Arthur Rinderknech falls to Medvedev at US Open

Arthur Rinderknech’s encouraging start at the US Open ended in a one-sided third-round defeat by Daniil Medvedev. The loss halted the Frenchman’s progress after victories over Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro and Spain’s Jaume Munar, but it also extended a difficult season for the player from Gassin.

Medvedev, ranked eighth in the world, won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 against Rinderknech, who is 29th. The Russian has not dropped a set in New York and now holds a 2-1 record in his meetings with the Frenchman. The result sends Medvedev into the last 16, while Rinderknech leaves the tournament.

Rinderknech had appeared to have an opening after moving 4-2 ahead in the first set, but Medvedev responded by taking four games in succession. The Frenchman then struggled badly at the end of the second set, before an early break in the third left him unable to recover. His level was well below that of his win over Medvedev in last season’s Shanghai Masters 1000.

The defeat follows Rinderknech’s early exit against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and a third-round loss to Brandon Nakashima in Canada. His New York wins had offered a route towards a stronger result, but Medvedev’s control and the Frenchman’s errors ended that possibility in three sets.