Defying painful blisters and the unlikeliest of odds, Australian Chris O'Connell has come agonisingly close to earning the biggest win of his career against Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open.
The unheralded Sydneysider gave the former world No.1 all the trouble he could handle in their quarter-final in Doha before eventually succumbing 6-2 4-6 7-5 in just under two hours of absorbing combat on Thursday.
It was a remarkable rearguard action of skill and aggression from the 29-year-old Australian, who spent the first 20 minutes of the match resembling a matchstick man in a hurricane as Medvedev, riding a rich vein of form, threatened to blow him off court.
Fresh from winning in Rotterdam last week, the Russian, who's now taken his win streak to seven matches, earned two immediate breaks and looked as if it would take him no time at all to dispose of the world No.94, who he'd also thrashed in their only previous meeting at the US Open in 2020.
But O'Connell, buoyed by the second best win of his career on Wednesday against Roberto Bautista Agut, cashed in on Medvedev's drop in concentration levels at the start of the second set, taking every chance to attack at the net and discomfit the baseliner.
Struggling with blisters, which forced him to call for a trainer when leading 5-2 in the second stanza, O'Connell looked to have lost his chance as Medvedev then got back on serve on the resumption.
But the Australian again shocked the odds-on favourite, coming up with a brilliant dinked forehand drop shot to seal another break and take the tie into a third set, with Medvedev unable to break through again in the decider.
Yet at 5-5, he showed his champion's killer instinct, cashing in on some second serves from O'Connell to break him to love, before sealing victory on his delivery to set up a semi-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
"At 5-5 in the third, I managed to play quite a good game," Medvedev said after applauding O'Connell as he walked off the court.
"He missed a few shots that he didn't miss before. It was an important moment in the match and that made me win.
"Everything depends on small moments - sometimes confidence, sometimes pure luck. I have lost close matches in my life and won some. I am trying to use my experience to make it better. I am happy it worked today."
O'Connell's hopes of making the second tour-level semi-final of his career, after reaching the last-four in San Diego last season, may have been scuppered, but he's set to make a jump in the rankings into the top 90 next week.
Medvedev got through after Andy Murray had earlier continued his marvels, coming from a set down to beat French qualifier Alexandre Muller 4-6 6-1 6-2.
The 35-year-old Scot, who knocked out Alexander Zverev in the previous round, is on course for his third title in Doha, but may have his hands full in the semi against Czech Jiri Lehecka, who caused a shock by upsetting top seed Andrey Rublev 4-6 6-4 6-3.
Medvedev will now meet second-seeded Aliassime, the 22-year-old Canadian who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to reach the last four.
