At the start of this long and unpredictable summer, Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini faced off in the Stuttgart final. For two sets, they were evenly matched, with high-quality tennis from all sides.
But those hopeful first days of June gave way to darkness. Out of the blue, Murray pulled his abdominal muscle and was hampered during the third set. After following Stuttgart by winning Queen’s, on the eve of Wimbledon Berrettini contracted Covid and retired.
Both players reached the third round of the US Open still looking to rediscover their form, and in the end it was Berrettini who found it, holding off a late surge from Murray. He combined his nuclear serve and forehand with sweet, delicate touches on court, breaking Murray to reach the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1) 6-3 victory.
Having contested the first third round of a grand slam for the second time since taking the top spot, Murray left Ashe with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was disappointed by aspects of his performance, particularly his serving for large parts of the match, but expressed pride in his continued achievements.
“I have a metal hip,” Murray said. “It’s not easy to play with that. It’s really hard. I’m amazed he’s still able to compete with guys who are at the top of the game.
“In games like this I’m very proud to have worked myself into a position where I can do that. I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get over the line today. But I’m reminded that this is the first time you’ve made the third round here since 2016. It’s been six years. It has been a difficult six years for me. It’s been very hard.”
Throughout this week, Murray has expressed deep satisfaction with how his body is coping with the constant strain of professional tennis. His physical improvement was reflected in his movement, which he demonstrated early on with a one-handed backhand, then a sweet forehand lob en route to an early break point at 3-2.
But then Berrettini took over. Berrettini possesses one of the greatest serve and forehand combinations in the world, which he combines with a sweet forehand, hand skills and a particularly fantastic backhand.
Murray’s break point was erased by a thunderous serve from Berrettini, then the Italian served flawlessly for the rest of the set. He matched his punishing weapons, which pushed Murray well behind the baseline, with a steady stream of delicate forehands as he gradually built a two-set lead.
As Berrettini pushed to finish the job in straight sets, he generated eight break points on Murray’s serve. But Murray will always fight. He saved every break point, including a 0-40 hole at 5-5, and then broke through in the third set when Berrettini’s forehand failed. Murray tried to run with the momentum early in the fourth set, generating a first break point, but Berrettini held and then reestablished control to win.
As his Grand Slam season comes to an end, Murray leaves New York with mixed feelings. His poor serve through two sets, with a low first serve percentage and double faults on decisive break points in both sets, hurt him in the most important moments.
Matteo Berrettini on his way to a four-set victory. Photo: Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports
But a loss to a player of this quality is no great shame. Given his circumstances at this point in his career, his third round looks like a very good tournament. It is only the second time he has reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since he was No. 1 in 2017. He has played well, knocking out No. 27 Francisco Cerundolo, and now sits around 43rd in the rankings.
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“Even though it’s the first time I’ve only made the third round here, I’m very proud of the effort I’ve put in to get back into those positions,” he said.
“So hopefully in the future I can go further, but considering I did well.”
There have been times in recent years when Murray has competed well with the best players but left the court frustrated. This time, however, after a rough summer with his abdominal tension and cramping issues, he was hopeful.
“I want to push myself and see how far I can go. That will motivate me and it will be interesting to see because a lot of people told me I wouldn’t be able to play again, and a lot of people told me I would be able to hit tennis balls but I wouldn’t come back to compete professionally. It was stupid, and I want to see how far I can get back to the top of the game,” he said.
For Berrettini, his recent struggles are just part of a desperately unlucky season. She started the year with her third Grand Slam semi-final in Australia, but was then sidelined for almost three months after undergoing hand surgery. At this time in men’s tennis when opportunities are starting to open up at the biggest tournaments, he aims to be one of the big stars and is back on track.
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 Shelby Rogers , the 31st seed. She will next face Veronika Kudermetova, who defeated Dalma Galfi 6-2, 6-0 in 47 minutes.