Following his triumph over Andy Murray Friday at the U.S. Open on an action-packed day in New York, World No. 14 Matteo Berrettini will meet unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday.
New York - Thirteen seed, Matteo Berrettini, ousted former champion Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3 on Friday in an exciting matchup, progressing into the tournament’s second week.
Berrettini, who last season reached the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows - lost to Novak Djokovic, enjoys a good run of form on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he attempts to get through the sweet 16.
In his post-match press conference, Sports Pundit spoke to the Italian player.
It’s your fourth consecutive appearance in the Round of 16 here in the U.S. Open. How do you feel about that?
“I feel happy. I like to play in New York,” he said. “This is a special tournament for me. I think, three years ago, when I played semis, it was kind of like the turning point of my career. So, I always have good memories, especially on the court I played today. I’m really happy to be through again.”
Watch the full press conference here.
The 26-year-old claimed his best result at the major in 2019, when he moved onto the semifinals, falling to the eventual champion, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets.
Furthermore, he shared his thoughts about his next adversary, Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who took out Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 after three hours and 15 minutes, later in the day.
“I don’t know him that well. I lost against him last year in Monte-Carlo, the first match after my tear in Australia,” he recalls.
“I think he’s a really good player, talented, physically, very strong. I didn’t watch anything today because I was playing. But I think it’s going to be a tough match.”
The 23-year-old leads Berrettini in their Head2Head series 1-0, as he toppled the Roman 7-5, 6-3 at the 2021 Monte-Carlo ATP Masters 1000 last year.
“We actually practiced once before the tournament started, so I kind of like know a little bit expecting what he’s going to do. I mean, we are in the fourth round in a Slam.
“He’s playing well. He’s feeling confident. He reached, in Monte-Carlo, his first Masters 1000 final. For sure, he’s feeling confident. I’m feeling confident, as well. So really looking forward to that.”
The charismatic Spaniard from Malaga, who currently sits at World No. 39, claimed his best result thus far this season, finishing a runner-up in Monte-Carlo.
He contested his maiden ATP Tour career final at the prestigious clay-court tournament, losing to the defending champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in straight sets.
En route to the championship match, he edged Djokovic in their second-round clash, yet ranked at the top of the men’s singles rankings.
His best result in a major came in 2021 at the French Open, reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, which he lost to sixth seed Alexander Zverev.
The previous year, the German player stormed past Davidovich Fokina in three sets at the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Regardless of the results, he became the youngest Spaniard to reach the event’s fourth round since Nadal did in 2007.
In 2022, Berrettini set off his season strong, becoming the first Italian semifinalist in the Australian Open history, losing to eventual champion Nadal.
By mid-February, he played the Rio Open quarterfinals, falling to Carlos Alcaraz, who claimed his maiden ATP 500 title in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
However, a right-hand injury that required surgery disrupted his year, keeping him away from tour-level competition for nearly two months and forcing him to miss the clay swing, including Roland Garros.
In June, he returned to action at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, winning his first title this season against Murray.
Then in London, he succeeded in retaining his crown at the Queen’s Club, prevailing over Serbian player Filip Krajinovic before withdrawing from Wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 result.
Late in July, he made it through the Swiss Open final, falling to the reigning champion, Casper Ruud, in Gstaad.
In the lead-up to the U.S. Open, he played in Toronto and Cincinnati, exiting early in both hard-court tournaments.
As of today, his campaign on American soil produced victories over Chile’s qualifier Nicolas Jarry, lucky loser Hugo Grenier, and World No. 51 Murray.
Berrettini will next meet the Spaniard, looking to extend his campaign at the major.
Jorge Aguirre’s pupil spoke about the Italian in his press conference, outlining: “Looking forward to playing against Berrettini. He’s a very good player. He’s one of the top. I will enjoy playing against him and fighting to try to win the match.”