MY ACCOUNT
Casper Ruud booked his place in the semi-finals of the US Open with a 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4) defeat of Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday.
Ruud was at the top of his game in the opening two sets, taking the first inside half an hour, but Berrettini made a contest of the third.
Indeed, the Italian at one stage had two set points, having taken a 5-2 advantage.
Yet Ruud, who did not require a single ace in this match, clawed both back to hold his serve and immediately broke to swing the momentum in his favour once more.
Berrettini had failed to execute two routine drop-shots as he conceded serve and never regained his composure, with Ruud forcing the tie-break.
It was then that the world number seven got back on top form, racing into a 3-0 lead and, despite a wobble that saw two match points fall by the wayside, holding his nerve to seal the win at the third attempt.
Into his first US Open semi-final – and his second at a grand slam following a run to the final at Roland Garros this year – Ruud, who along with Carlos Alcaraz has a chance of becoming the new world number one, will face either Nick Kyrgios or Karen Khachanov in the last four.
Data Slam: Berrettini’s top-10 hoodoo
Berrettini was aiming to reach his fourth grand slam semi-final and a second at Flushing Meadows, yet his record against top-10 opponents is a poor one, and it did not change for the better in New York.
He is now 7-19 for his career against opponents ranked inside the top 10 by the ATP, while he has lost his last 11 such matches since defeating Dominic Thiem – then ranked number three – at the 2021 ATP Cup. Berrettini has never defeated a top-10 opponent in a grand slam (0-8).
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Ruud – 0/2
Berrettini – 13/3
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Ruud – 20/23
Berrettini – 35/39
BREAK POINTS WON
Ruud – 5/14
Berrettini – 2/9
