Berrettini ends up eliminating Murray and advances to the 3rd round

Italian Matteo Berrettini, 14th in the world, had to fight almost four hours to overcome the resistance of Briton Andy Murray (35th), winner 2012, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 6- 3, Friday in the 3rd round of the US Open.

Berrettini, semi-finalist in New York in 2019 and quarter-finalist last year, will face Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich (39th) on Sunday to try to find the quarters. To win, in 3:47, the 26-year-old Italian was able to count on his huge serve (18 aces) and his very big forehand (55 winning shots in total). “I wasn’t aggressive enough in the third set, but I felt better in the fourth. I had opportunities and I knew how to seize them., commented Berrettini. The Italian notably took advantage of a double fault from Murray to achieve the only break in the first set and lead 4-3. The Scot then offered him the decisive break in the second set on a new double fault which allowed Berrettini to lead 5-4 and conclude on his service. Both players came into the third set tiebreak without giving up any face-offs. After losing the first point, Murray won the next seven to come back two sets to one. The 35-year-old Scotsman made the opening break in the fourth set, but his opponent immediately recovered before making the decisive break to lead 5-3 and serve for the match winner.

Andy Murray has not played in the round of 16 since Wimbledon 2017 where he reached the quarters. He is coming out of four seasons marred by the Covid-19 and above all by repeated injuries, including one to the hip which had almost cost him his career in 2019 and on which a metal prosthesis is now fixed.