At the beginning of this long and unpredictable summer Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini stared each other down in the final of Stuttgart. For two sets they went blow for blow as equals and both players looked promising.
But those hopeful early days of the grass season made way for gloom. Out of nowhere Murray pulled his abdominal muscle and was lame throughout the third set. After following up Stuttgart by winning Queen’s, on the eve of Wimbledon Berrettini contracted Covid and withdrew.
Neither has recovered his mid-June form; they won one ATP match between each other on the North American hard courts and they arrived for their US Open third round just searching for a win to build momentum anew.
It was Berrettini who found it in New York, withstanding a late surge from an otherwise sub-par Murray. He paired his nuclear serve and forehand with sweet, delicate touches around the court, breaking down Murray to reach the fourth round of the US Open with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-3 win.
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Throughout this week Murray has expressed deep satisfaction about how his body, beyond his recent cramping issues, is dealing with the constant strain of professional tennis. Three years ago his five-set first-round win over Yoshihito Nishiooka ruined him and it took months for his body to recover. His sounder physical base now was reflected in his movement, which he demonstrated early on by flicking a one-handed on-the-run backhand passing shot, then a sweet forehand lob at full stretch. He generated an early break point at 3-2.
But then Berrettini took over. He possesses one of the biggest serve-and-forehand combinations in the world, which he combines with a sweet drop shot, hand skills and particularly great backhand slice. In these big moments, at the grand slam tournaments, he has thrived on all surfaces. He is one of the few players of his generation to have reached the quarter-finals of each major.
Murray’s break point was erased by a thunderous serve from Berrettini, then the Italian served flawlessly throughout the set. His decisive asset was how he paired his punishing weapons, pushing Murray far behind the baseline, with a constant stream of delicate forehand drop shots. At 3-3, 30-30, Berrettini played one such sublime drop shot winner to reach break point. Under sustained pressure Murray double faulted and Berrettini flitted through the remainder of the set.
Berrettini carried the momentum to a break in the first game of the second set but Murray’s return improved and he stepped inside the baseline, breaking back and establishing a series of holds. But at 4-4 the Berrettini touch emerged again as he paired an enormous forehand with a sweet backhand drop shot to bring up break point. For the second time in the day Murray double-faulted on break point, a second serve that flew close to the baseline. As he sat down, he repeatedly struck his racket bag with his racket.
Throughout the third set the pressure imposed by Berrettini was relentless. He generated eight break points throughout the third set, including three in a row in a long Murray service game at 5-5. Murray saved each one, his serve finally improved, and he somehow dragged himself into the tie-break. Berrettini played an incredible first point but then he crumbled. As he sprayed forehand errors and suddenly could not find the court, Murray remained rock solid to push Berrettini to a fourth set. It turned out to be a short detour, however, as Berrettini fended off an early break point and then re-established control to take his win.
As his grand slam season comes to an end, Murray leaves New York with mixed results. Given his circumstances at this point in his career, his third-round finish classes as a good tournament. It is only the second time he has reached the third round at a grand slam tournament since he was ranked No 1 in 2017. He played well, taking out a seed, No 28 Francisco Cerundolo, and putting himself in the position to contend with a top player.
A loss to such a quality player is no great shame but his pitiful serving for two sets, double-faulting on decisive points, will be a source of great frustration in a loss that is difficult to take. Murray believes that he is capable of defeating the best players in the world but he was far from his best when the moment required it of him.
For Berrettini, his recent struggles are only one part of a desperately unlucky season. He started the year with his third grand slam semi-final in Australia, yet he was then sidelined for nearly three months after undergoing hand surgery early this year. At this time in men’s tennis when opportunities are starting to open up at the biggest tournaments, he clearly wants to be one of the main protagonists. He is moving back towards his goals.
In the women’s draw fifth seed Ons Jabeur recovered from a set and a break down to reach the fourth round with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over 31st seed Shelby Rogers. Jabeur, a finalist at Wimbledon in July, trailed 4-6, 3-4 when she reeled off 20 of 22 points to steady herself before eventually taking her sixth match point. She will face Veronika Kudermetova next, who defeated Dalma Galfi 6-2, 6-0 in 47 minutes. – Guardian
