Berrettini gets past battling Murray, reaches his fourth consecutive US Open last 16

Italian Matteo Berrettini, the No 13 seed, moved into the last 16 of the US Open for the fourth time in four years, by winning against Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-3 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Friday.

Berrettini now leads their head-to-head 3-1, winning their three most recent encounters. Murray has not reached the fourth round of a Slam since 2017, at Wimbledon, when he was still the world No 1.

“I’ve got a metal hip,” Murray reminded the press afterwards. “It’s not easy playing with that. It’s really difficult. I’m surprised I’m still able to compete with guys that are right up at the top of the game.

“Matches like this, you know, I’m really proud that I have worked myself into a position where I’m able to do that. I’m really disappointed that, you know, I didn’t get over the line today. But, you know, I get reminded like this is the first time you’ve made the third round here since 2016. It’s been six years. It’s been a difficult six years for me. It’s been really hard.

“Although it’s the first time I’ve only made the third round here, I’m really proud of that effort that I put into, you know, to get myself back into these positions. So I’m hoping that in the future I can go further, but considering, I did all right.”

Berrettini, ranked No 14, will play Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina next. “I think I played a really good match” he stated. “In the third, I had a lot of chances, and I couldn’t get them. Again, that’s tennis. I found myself down a break in the fourth. But I kept thinking that I was doing the right things, that the chances I had in the previous sets, they will come again. That was my mindset.”

In the previous rounds of Flushing Meadows, the Italian beat Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry (6-2, 6-3, 6-3) and edged out French lucky loser Hugo Grenier (2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7)).

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US Open, other third-round result:

• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Daniel Elahi Galan (Q): 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4