Miami Open: Djokovic fans elated after Medvedev fails to regain World No.1 spot

Medvedev needed to reach the semi-finals to reclaim the world number one spot from Novak Djokovic. The Australian Open finalist claimed the position briefly earlier this year but lost it after a shock third-round loss at Indian Wells.

It was an exhausting encounter for Daniil Medvedev. Midway through the second set in the Miami Open quarter-final against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, the Russian was standing several feet behind the baseline, and hand propped on one of his knees, his sweat turning his shirt several shades darker as he tried to catch his breath. The Polish, on the other hand, looked like he was having a party at the beach.

At that moment, it became evident that Medvedev would have to wait for yet another shot at regaining his World No.1 rank. There were no surprises when eight-seeded Hurkacz moved two wins away from defending his Miami title by wearing down the cramp-riddled Medvedev 7-6 (7), 6-3 on Thursday.

"Every muscle just went 'cramp, cramp, cramp, cramp'. I was like a fish on the sofa," Medvedev said.

"All the match, I was not feeling my best," the Russian explained to reporters. "After the tough points, I felt that my breath was not recovering fast enough."

Medvedev needed to reach the semi-finals to reclaim the world number one spot from Novak Djokovic. The Australian Open finalist claimed the position briefly earlier this year but lost it after a shock third-round loss at Indian Wells. 

Had Medvedev prevailed, he would have overtaken the Serbian on Monday and returned to No. 1 in the world rankings. Instead, the Russian will stay No. 2 in the world and find out who wins the Miami title on Sunday like everyone else.

"For me, it was more important in a way just to win the match itself than to become No. 1," Medvedev said. "Winning the match, I saw it more as a bonus."

Hurkacz has played Medvedev four times, and Medvedev has been ranked No. 2 in the world in each of those meetings — which they've now split. Hurkacz improved to 14-5 this year, and his record in Miami is 12-1 all-time.

Following this defeat, Djokovic fans took to Twitter to express the joy that their favourite tennis star remains at World No.1. Here's a look at some of the reactions:

Hurkacz will next meet either No. 14 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain or unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in the semi-finals. Kecmanovic and Alcaraz play in the last quarter-final later Thursday.

The other semi-final pits sixth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway against unseeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.