World No. 14 Matteo Berrettini set up a third-round meeting with 2012 champion Andy Murray after defeating lucky loser Hugo Grenier in a four-setter on Wednesday.
During his press conference, Sports Pundit asked Berrettini about his expectations towards the next match.
“We played in different conditions. We played 2019 in Beijing, so it was on the hard [courts], but best-of-three. Then twice on grass. All the matches were great fights,” he said.
The Italian, who advanced to the major’s semifinals in 2021, will meet the three-time Grand Slam champion for the fourth time at tour level, leading Murray on their Head2Head series 2-1.
The 7-time ATP titlist further commented: “Obviously Andy now is in a way better shape than he used to be, especially last year.
“He’s a legend of the sport. I think it’s going to be a great match, a tough match for me. But [I am] feeling confident. I always like to play here, especially on big stages, big matches like the one I’m about to play.”
“I think it’s going to be a tough one, but I’m ready.”
They last met in June at the Stuttgart final, which the Roman-born won, edging Ivan Lendl’s pupil in three sets.
The tournament marked Berrettini’s return to action after being sidelined from Tour for nearly two months due to a right-hand injury that required surgery.
Thus far into the 2022 season, the 26-year-old captured two ATP titles (emerged victorious at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, also retaining his title at the Queen’s Club) before his withdrawal from Wimbledon due to a positive COVID-19 result.
Late in July, he fell to Casper Ruud in the championship match as the Norwegian clinched his second consecutive title at the Swiss Open Gstaad, ending the Italian player winning streak.
For his part, the 35-year-old reached the third round in New York for the first time since 2016 on Wednesday, battling past American wild card Emilio Nava 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 after three hours on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
On Monday, the 46-time ATP titlist opened his campaign in Flushing Meadows by toppling Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.
Moreover, Murray is enjoying an outstanding season in terms of results, reaching two finals in 2022, Sydney and Stuttgart.
Going strength from strength on his recovery path from multiple hip operations (2017, 2019), he would crack back into the Top 50 for the first since 2018 by mid-June, currently sitting at World No. 51.
After his win over Nava, he asserted: “This is physically the best I’ve felt in the last few years.”
Meanwhile, Berrettini outlasted Chile’s qualifier Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 moving into the second round of the US Open to next play Grenier, ousting the Frenchman, displaying consistency in his game, nearly flawless behind his serve.
The first Italian semifinalist in the Australian Open history (2022) and the two-time Wimbledon champion, will continue to write their history on Friday.