Daniil Medvedev unleashes verbal onslaught on hostile crowd before shaking hands with opponent after US Open 2R win

Daniil Medvedev overcame Christopher O'Connell to book his spot in the third round of the 2023 US Open on Friday, September 1.

Medvedev, seeded second, dominated the match in the beginning, winning the first two sets comfortably. However, O'Connell pushed back, refusing to go down easily and fended off two match points from the World No. 3, forcing the match into the fourth set.

The Australian posed quite a challenge before Medvedev could win his fourth match point and seal his victory 6-2, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 in a little over three hours.

The Tennis Letter shared a short clip of the Russian coming to the net after winning the match point. Instead of the usual celebratory screaming or air-punching, he decided to take the moment to give a piece of his mind to some of the hostile fans in the stands.

"Daniil Medvedev was not happy with someone in the crowd after he won his match against O’Connell at the US Open. He wins his match & his energy goes straight to the bickering. Daniil’s crowd banter remains unmatched," they wrote in the caption.

It was not the only time during the match that Daniil Medvedev had a tiff with the crowd. During the third set, the former US Open champion pushed a camera away and later yelled at a few spectators who were rushing back to their seats as he was about to serve. In response, one of them blew a kiss back to Medvedev.

"Medvedev was upset with 2 fans who were walking while he was trying to serve. “Are you stupid or what?” One of the fans blew a kiss to him. Daniil vs US Open crowd saga is back," The Tennis Letter posted.

---

"When you get frustrated, you never know" - Daniil Medvedev on dropping a set in his R2 victory at the US Open

Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 US Open.

Daniil Medvedev shared his frustration at losing the third set to Christopher O'Connell in the second round of the US Open during his on-court interview.

He also spoke about his mindset as he gathered himself to eventually win the match.

"When you get frustrated, you never know. You could lose your concentration and the match could become much tougher, or like today, I felt like maybe it helped me a little bit," Medvedev said. "In general, I felt like it was a great match to play, honestly.”

Medvedev has 51-11, one of the best win-loss records on hardcourt, this season. The former US Open champion is a strong contender for the trophy with four hardcourt titles under his belt this year.

He will next square off against Sebastian Baez in the third round of the US Open on Saturday, September 2.