Triumphant ATP Cup teammates Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will clash in an all-Russian Australian Open quarter-final after continuing their blazing summer run at Melbourne Park.
The red-hot Medvedev extended his winning streak to 18 matches with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 fourth-round victory over unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald before Casper Ruud retired hurt in his match against Rublev on Monday.
The seventh-seeded Rublev was leading 6-2 7-6 (7-3) when the Norwegian called it quits.
Medvedev had been pushed to the limit in his third-round victory over Filip Krajinovic but there was no such trouble against McDonald.
"It was a great match. I was feeling the ball great, I was serving great. The only time I lost serve was 5-2 in the first set, which didn't matter so much," said the 2019 US Open runner-up and 2020 ATP Finals champion.
"So I'm really happy. It's an exciting moment to be in the quarters in Australia for the first time.
"But I always want more. It's step by step."
His attacking style likened to the great Roger Federer, McDonald tried everything to unsettle Medvedev, rallying from the back and rushing the net.
But nothing worked as the relentless world No.4 progressed in less than 90 minutes.
"I finished at 1.30, which is important in the later stages of the grand slams, to make fast matches," Medvedev said.
"When you play Mackenzie, many times it's going to be him controlling the game and you just need to defend.
"I knew that I needed to put some low balls because he plays really flat and aggressive, so to give him high balls he's going to try to destroy it."
Rublev enjoyed a breakout season last year, reaching the last eight of the French and US Opens and chalking up a tour-best five titles.
His rise is showing no sign of slowing, the 23-year-old winning all eight matches he's played in Australia this summer.
But the world No.8 faces his sternest test yet against Medvedev on Wednesday.
"At least one of us will be in the semis so it's good news but it's going to be a tough match," Rublev said.
"Last time he beat me in the US Open quarters and (we play in the) quarters again."
Qualifier Aslan Karatsev is also through to the last eight, giving Russia three men in the quarter-finals of a slam for the first time in the 53-year professional era.
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