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On Tuesday, Casper Ruud of Norway defeated Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to advance to the US Open semi-finals for the first time.
For a spot in Sunday’s championship match, French Open semifinalist Ruud will compete against either Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios or Karen Khachanov.
Ruud breezed through the first set with ease, committing just two unforced errors, and it appeared like he would win easily when he led the second set 5-1.
But Berrettini, who has missed several matches this season owing to illness or injury, gradually started to perform at his typical level. In the third set, when he broke Ruud in the second game and saved four breaks in the third, he seemed to have discovered the secret.
In the ninth game, Ruud made an amazing comeback, breaking Berrettini, and he never trailed in the tiebreak.
“That was better start than I ever had before in a match. Sometimes you can get a little overexcited and think you can walk on water,” Ruud said in an on-court interview.
“Of course it’s a little bit motivation. I am trying to go for it, of course,” he concluded.
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