Us Open, Berrettini beats Davidovich Fokina and hits the quarterfinals

It’s the cinema, baby. But also tennis. A pinch of drama, a little suspense and a happy ending. All the perfect ingredients for an enjoyable show. Especially if the happy ending means that Matteo Berrettini manages to win the quarter-finals of the Us Open by beating Alejandro Davidovich, despite being weakened by a knee problem in the final, when he was 4-2 behind in the 5th set. It ends 3-6 7-6 (2) 4-6 6-2 in 3 hours and 45 and now for the Roman, semifinalist in New York in 2019, the winner between Casper Ruud and Corentin Moutet.

In the first set Berrettini immediately ends up in trouble and starts with the handicap of a 2-0 break. The Roman is the ghost of himself. Slow, not very reactive, at times resigned. Davidovich on the other hand plays the part of the phenomenon, they will be the basics of boxing, to which his father boxer had started him, but he flies like a butterfly and stings like a hornet, but one of the bad ones. Staying in the boxing comparison, Matteo looks like a punched boxer. On his knees, he tries to get close when he can, taking advantage of the Spaniard’s drops, but he fails to make up the gap by giving up the first set for 6-4. He starts again with the right attitude in the second, the pupil of Santopadre, who remains clinging to the game even if his physique does not support him. But the head belongs to the champion we are used to knowing. He wastes a set point at 5-4 but is not discouraged. At the tie break he pulls out all the grit left, takes two minibreaks ahead and goes to close 7-2 to put the situation back in balance.

The ascent

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A stop to freshen up his ideas and change his shirt and in the third set Santopadre’s pupil, the only one of his generation to have reached at least the quarter-finals in all the Grand Slams, begins with a break advantage. He finds the attitude and determination Berretto, who no longer seems at the mercy of the boy with the mismatched socks in evident identity crisis. Matteo also has the opportunity to double the break in the third game but he does not take advantage of it, he still remains ahead thanks to his rival who at every point seems more disheartened. And in fact he gives up his serve at the worst moment, at 5-3 in the third set. He closes Berrettini 6-3 for 2-1 in the set count.

The snag

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In the third game, Berrettini serves. Fokina takes back courage who puts on a winning line in desperation and exalts the public who, obviously, want the fight. Berrettini ends up under 0-30. Then the break points return for the Spaniard who goes 40-15. Matteo cancels the first with a straight passer, then a winning service to cancel the second. A backhand that escapes by a few centimeters puts Fokina back in the running but he makes a mistake. Still advantages, still break ball and this time it is Berrettini who makes a mistake with a back on the net for the Spaniard’s 2-1. Who maintains the advantage until the end even earns a set point at 5-3. The Roman holds but fails to recover the disadvantage and yields the 4th set 6-4.

The grand finale

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As after the first set, Berrettini returns to the locker room to gather ideas and freshen up. He starts the 5th holding the service even if with some difficulty. He struggles to manage the exchanges and has to cling to the service that is not always on his side. He helps Fokina who in the second game gives with errors of enthusiasm and gives the joke to the Roman for 2-0. But that’s not all, because Berrettini, still down with the joke, allows the Spaniard to return. He does not give up the Italian, who once again manages to take advantage of the mistakes of the Montecarlo finalist and snatches the joke for the 3-1. And this time he confirms the break: 4-1. He twists a knee in a slide, the Spaniard calling the physio. He can no longer make up for the disadvantage.