In-form fifth seed Casper Ruud has pushed past Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-1 6-4 7-6(4) to reach the US Open semi-final, with a shot at the world No.1 ranking still on the line at New York.
The French Open runner-up beat Berrettini on clay in July's Gstaad final and looked just as effective on the hardcourt, hanging back behind the baseline to absorb the 13th seed's power.
Sprinting through a sublime first set in which he produced just two unforced errors, Ruud seemed on track for a blowout victory, when he was up 5-1 in the second set.
But Berrettini, who was sidelined several times this season due to injury or illness, slowly began to find his usual level and appeared to have cracked the code in the third set, when he broke Ruud in the second game and saved four breaks in the third.
Ruud mustered a terrific comeback, breaking Berrettini in the ninth, and never trailed in the tiebreak.
"That was (a) better start than I ever had before in a match," Ruud said, adding that he had to temper his enthusiasm to clinch the affair.
"Sometimes you can get a little overexcited and think you can walk on water," he said.
He and third seed Carlos Alcaraz have a chance at seizing the world No.1 ranking at Flushing Meadows, where current holder Daniil Medvedev crashed out in the fourth round.
"Of course, it's a little bit [more] motivation," said Ruud. "I'm trying to go for it, of course."
Berrettini, who beat Ruud in the third round at New York two years ago, says the Norwegian has clearly upped his level.
"I think his return, definitely [has improved], slso his serve," he said. "He's able to mix it up, he's more complete."
After missing the Australian Open when he rolled his ankle a day before the tournament, Ruud has shown he can be a threat on hardcourts, when he reached the Miami final and Montreal semi-final this year.
"I'm honestly a bit surprised that I made it to the semis here, but I think I have developed my hardcourt game a lot the last year or two," he said.
"Miami this year showed me, and I proved to myself that I can beat good players and reach later stages in big hardcourt tournaments."
Reuters
