Italy’s Matteo Berrettini reached his fourth consecutive US Open fourth round on Friday with a four-set marathon victory over 2012 champion Andy Murray.
World number 14 Berrettini overcame 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, hit 18 aces and a total of 55 winners on Arthur Ashe Court.
A semi-finalist in 2019 and a quarter-finalist last year, the 26-year-old will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain for a final 8th place finish.
“I wasn’t aggressive enough in the third set but I felt better in the fourth set. I took my chances and finally took them,” said the Italian.
Berrettini beat Murray in the Stuttgart final in June and took control from the start on Friday.
Murray double fouled to give the Italian the only break of the opening set in the seventh game and a break to hit well in the first game of the second set.
Murray hit back immediately but Berrettini’s powerful strike kept the Englishman at bay as he took a two-set lead thanks to another break in the ninth game.
The England star returned in the third set with a dominant tiebreak and was even broken up in the fourth round before the 26-year-old Italian rocked himself to victory in three hours and 47 minutes.
The loss left Murray without a place to attend the fourth round at Slam since Wimbledon 2017.
