Daniil Medvedev reached the US Open semi-finals after beating Andrey Rublev in hot and humid conditions that he said would cause a player to “die”.

“One player is going to die and you are going to see,” he said into a camera during the match in New York.

Medvedev won his only Grand Slam at the US Open in 2021 after beating Novak Djokovic in the final.

Rublev has now failed to make the semi-final of a major in nine attempts.

Playing under a partially closed roof because of the heat, Rublev got off to a great start in his bid to get over the Grand Slam quarter-final hurdle as he raced to a 3-0 lead, but it did not take long for Medvedev to find his form and get things back on serve.

The higher-ranked Russian got the key break for 5-4 and served out the set before taking a lengthy bathroom break as Rublev stayed on the court looking hot and bothered.

In similar fashion to the first set, it was Rublev who made the brighter start, taking a 3-1 lead, but again Medvedev was able to shift gears despite receiving a medical timeout and taking a puff of an inhaler as he appeared to struggle with his breathing.

He won five successive games to take the second set and left Rublev looking dejected as he kicked a ball away in frustration and walked off for a bathroom break with his head down.

Medvedev managed to hold serve at start of third set but he found himself down again with a double fault gifting Rublev another early break.

The 2021 champion continued to struggle with the conditions, calling a second medical timeout before he levelled the scores and the players continued to exchange breaks.

But Medvedev, with the finish line in sight, held serve and let four match points come and go on Rublev’s serve before claiming the match on the fifth as Rublev fired a forehand into the net.

Medvedev will play Spain’s top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev of Germany, who play in Wednesday’s night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

More to follow.