TENNIS: Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner battled past their fourth round opposition, meaning there are two Italian men in the US Open quarter-finals.
Matteo Berrettini had to battle past Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday at the US Open. Yet he was able to dig deep and prevailed 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Berrettini started slowly, training Fokina by a set and a break, before making a fist of it and bringing the match level at 1-1 with a tie-break win. Looking in control of the three-hour, 45-minute encounter after finding rhythm behind his serve and huge forehand, he was not able to put the match to bed in a fourth set.
Davidovich Fokina responded to support from the stands to storm back with a stirring fourth-set showing that forced a decider on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I’m really proud because I didn’t start the match the way I wanted to,” said Berrettini in his on-court interview. “I was down a set and a break… and I found the right energy. I have to say I was a little bit tired in the fourth, and he was playing unbelievable tennis. So, I lost the fourth, and I was like, ‘OK, now I’m going to give everything’.
Berrettini faces fifth seed Casper Ruud today (6th September). who ended the dream run of lucky loser Corentin Moutet with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 triumph.
Sinner also pushed to five sets
Jannik Sinner advanced to the US Open quarter-finals on Monday night but he will have to rethink his game in order to keep progressing.
The 21-year-old Italian was not on top form, throwing in 14 double faults and only achieving 46% of first serves into play. Leading Ilya Ivashka by a set and a break, he served seven double faults alone in the second set (among 22 unforced errors).
Ultimately, rallied from 1-3 in the fifth set to close out the win 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. He is the youngest player since Novak Djokovic (20, in 2007-08) to complete a set of quarter-final appearances at all four Grand Slams.
However, if he is to progress to his first major semi-final, he will need to improve his serve percentage ahead of a meeting with third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
“Today I was struggling, I was not playing my best,” Sinner said. “But in the fifth set I tried to dig deep and I’m very happy to be in the next round.”
Making history
It is the first time in tournament history (since 1881) two Italian men are in the Us Open quarter-finals in the same year. Sinner and Berrettini also reached the Australian Open quarter-finals together in January.
Sinner is 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, and like countryman Matteo Berrettini (13th), is in need of a big run at Flushing Meadows to work into contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.
Sinner and Berrettini are the highest-positioned players outside the current Turin cut who are still in contention in the US Open.
