Serb Novak Djokovic has again fought back from a set down to beat Matteo Berrettini 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-3 and move into the US Open semi-finals, now just two wins away from a 21st major that would complete a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Djokovic, who also lost the opening set in his previous two matches, and Berrettini have met only three times, but two were this year when the stakes were at their highest - the Wimbledon final and French Open quarters - with the world No.1 winning both times in four sets.
The 25-year-old Italian had a third shot at derailing Djokovic's Grand Slam plans, but once again could not seize his chance, converting just one of five break opportunities, that coming in the first set.
"When I lost the first set, I managed to forget about it, move on," says Djokovic. "In sports, we talk about that a lot - being in the zone... very difficult to get here, very easy to go out."
Djokovic takes another step up in class in the next round, where he faces fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who last month ended his bid for a 'Golden Slam' by beating him in the Tokyo Olympics semi-finals.
"He's in a fantastic form," says Djokovic. "Of course, looking at his results in past few years, he's played very well here on this court.
"I know it's going to be battle, even harder than it was today, but I'm ready for it. These are the hurdles that I need to overcome in order to get to the desired destination."
Zverev arrives at the final four as the hottest player in men's tennis, advancing with a 7-6 (6) 6-3 6-4 win over unseeded South African Lloyd Harris to extend his winning run to 16 matches.
Reuters.
