Number 1 seed Jannik Sinner and number 5 seed Daniil Medvedev face an exciting quarterfinal duel at the US Open on Wednesday.

But this showdown feels more like a finale and actually looks like the “real” finale of these two weeks.

Sinner and Medvedev are the only two remaining Grand Slam champions in men’s tennis, and with No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcarz eliminated early, the winner will be the favorite to lift the trophy on Sunday night.

“Hopefully we can have a great match,” Medvedev said after defeating Portuguese Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-1, 6-3. “I know if I want to beat him I have to be at my best, which I managed to do a few times. It will be a great match.”

The 28-year-old Medvedev is 7-5 up against Sinner and was also victorious in the last match, a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

But Sinner, 23, has won five of their last six meetings, including a five-set victory in the Australian Open final where he came from two sets down to win his first Grand Slam title.

In that match, Sinner, a former junior ski star, became the first Italian man or woman to win the Australian Open and only the eighth man to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a major final.

“I will try to think more about Wimbledon than the Australian Open,” said Medvedev, who won his only major tournament in straight sets against Djokovic in the final of the 2021 US Open, with a smile.

“I feel like we know our game in some ways and we know what we’re going to bring to the table. And then it always comes down to, you know, the deuce in that moment, the break point. Maybe I’ll try to surprise him or not. What will he do, what will I do.”

While Medvedev had no problems in his fourth-round match on Labor Day, Sinner was put to the test by American No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-1 in windy conditions on Monday evening.

“It’s different from the day sessions, but it was nice to be part of this match,” Sinner said. “You know, playing against an American here on this court is definitely difficult. Night sessions make for a little bit of a tougher atmosphere. And in my opinion, it’s nice to be part of that. We’re both trying to make a good match out of it, and they’re coming to see a good match.”

Sinner appears to have put the pre-tournament controversy behind him, during which the world number one tested positive for a banned substance but escaped punishment.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) acquitted Sinner after he failed two doping tests in March. However, he has always maintained his innocence and stated that less than a billionth of a gram of clostebol was found in his body.

Djokovic called for “clear protocols” and a “standardized” approach to doping cases, while Australian Nick Kyrgios said Sinner should have been banned regardless of the type of doping, whether it was “accidental or planned.”

Nevertheless, Rafael Nadal defended Sinner.

“I have a virtue or a deficit, which is that I usually believe in people’s good intentions. I know Sinner, and I don’t think Sinner ever wanted to dope,” said the 22-time major champion on the Spanish television show “El Hormiguero.”

“I don’t think we have to like it if it’s resolved the way we want it to be resolved. Ultimately, justice is justice and I believe in justice.”

“I believe in the committees that have to make decisions and that really make them based on what they believe is right.”

Still, people close to Sinner say he learned who his friends were – and who weren’t – and that he tightened his circle after the incident.

After losing the first set in his first match against American Mackie McDonald and raising speculation that the off-court affair was a distraction, Sinner has not lost a set since.

“He’s incredible from the corners,” said Paul, who was playing alongside fellow Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals. “He hits a good ball every time the ball is on his racket. I mean, that’s what sets him apart.”

The winner of the Sinner/Medvedev match will face the winner of No. 10 Alex De Minaur of Australia and No. 25 Jack Draper of Great Britain in the semifinals. Both players have an excellent chance of reaching their first major semifinal.

De Minaur is in his third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal in 2024, while Draper is in his first major quarterfinal. ESPN’s Brad Gilbert said Draper is playing at such a high level that the 22-year-old left-hander is a “real threat” to win the title.

The two Americans – Fritz and Tiafoe – are in the bottom half of the field released by Djokovic and will play their quarterfinals on Tuesday. Fritz will face No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the afternoon session, while Tiafoe will face No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov in the evening session.

The winners of these games will have two full rest days before the semifinals on Friday.

Both Americans have a legitimate chance of reaching the semifinals, and an all-American semifinal would undoubtedly add significant weight to the argument that American men’s tennis is on the rise.

No American has won a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. Roddick turned 42 on Friday.

“Give them a chance. They know it’s been a while, but they’re close to making the big breakthrough,” John McEnroe said of the Americans on ESPN.

Nevertheless, the winner of the Sinner/Medvedev duel will emerge as the tournament favorite, with Sinner trying to equal Alcaraz and claim his second major victory of the year and Medvedev aiming for the second major victory of his career.

The hope for the rest of the field is that the two Europeans will finish each other off in an epic five-set duel, leaving the door open for someone else to break through.

“Of course there are two Americans still in the tournament, but you know, in some ways it has never felt so open,” Paul said.

“So I believe that one of us can do it at some point.”