Matteo Berrettini suffers, but wins the match against the Scottish Andy Murray, which was valid for the round of 32 of the US Open tennis, thus qualifying for the round of 16.
The Roman, at the end of a long battle, won in four sets with the score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3.
It was the fourth time that the two found themselves facing each other: the first time had happened at the China Open 2019, a tournament in which the Scotsman won over the blue with a double 7-6.
Then, grass, with Berrettini's victories at Queen's 2021 (6-3, 6-3, in the round of 16) and in this year's final in Stuttgart (6-4, 5-7, 6-3 the score).
After the first two rather soft challenges in the New York tournament, for the 14th player of the ATP ranking, against the Chilean Nicolas Jarry (victory in three sets) and against the '
And Berrettini overcame him, even though he struggled, with full merit.
The battle was very hard, fought by two tennis players who share the ability to know how to rise from their ashes, to defeat bad luck and to prove themselves stronger than injuries.
It is no coincidence that they are friends and it happened to see them train together.
The Spanish Rafael Nadal instead defeated the Italian Fabio Fognini for 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 in the third round.
A curious episode marked the meeting, when the four-time champion, and male record holder of 22 Grand Slam titles, hit himself in the nose with his racket as he reached for a ball.
Nadal was then forced to call the coach to treat blisters on his left hand.
Fognini, for his part, asked for a medical time-out to have his right foot bandaged.
