Us Open: Sinner folds Ivashka and flies to the quarters like Berrettini

For the sixth time in history, the second this year, two Italian players simultaneously reach the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam tournament. After Matteo Berrettini, who yesterday beat Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 in the fifth set, tonight it was Jannik Sinner’s turn who, without playing his best tennis, eliminated Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-1 5- 7 6-2 4-6 6-3 in 3 hours and 48 minutes of play, qualifying for the first time in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

Mistakes

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A battle, not so beautiful, full of many free mistakes (64 for Ivashka, 55 for Sinner) and a few winners overall (22 from Belarus, 46 from South Tyrol). Sinner manages at will for an abundant hour without having any kind of resistance from an opponent unable to keep a bat until 6-1, 3-1. A huge advantage that Sinner instead squanders in the crucial moment of the extension of the second set. At 4-3 the South Tyrolean, with yet another double fault (at the end of the match there will be 14), allows the rival to score the counterbreak. Ivashka is now more fluid, holds up better the exchanges from the bottom, takes courage and on 6-5 scores a new break to re-establish parity. Sinner, however, seems to immediately take the situation back in hand: at 1-1, thanks to the double foul of his rival, he shoots forward again in the score, missing three occasions for a double break which, however, arrives on time a couple of games later. The hierarchies on the pitch are again respected and the blue starts the fourth set at full speed, ahead 2 sets to 1 and with the Belarusian struggling with the physiotherapist for a problem in his left thigh. The beginning of the fourth set is uncertain, decidedly colorless. Ivashka holds two zero-hitting games and then receives a 3-1 break as a gift. Sinner recovers it immediately, but gets angry when the 3-all misses 3 consecutive break points to get under the banner of the finish line. The South Tyrolean immediately suffers and on 4-5, committing four free mistakes, gives the set to his rival. In the fifth set, tragedy seems to loom when Ivashka, with Sinner totally out of control, quickly climbs 3-1. The blue, however, finds the strength to react and scoring the last 5 games (final partial of 16 points to 2) wins a very important but certainly not spectacular match.

Crossings

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With two players in the quarter-finals, Italy is the nation most present still in the United States Open competition on a par with Russia (Khachanov and Rublev). Followed by Norway (Ruud), Australia (Kyrgios), the United States (Tiafoe) and a nation between Spain (Alcaraz) and Croatia (Cilic). Now in the quarters Matteo Berrettini will face Casper Ruud and Sinner the winner between Alcaraz and Cilic. With the defeat of Nadal, the race for the first world position will be a matter of very few points. Nadal remains virtually number 1, but will lose the scepter if one of Alcaraz or Ruud reaches the final. If they both reach the final, the winner of the tournament will be the new number 1 in the world.

The statistics

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And so Berrettini and Sinner are the first Italian couple to hit the quarters of a Grand Slam twice together. In the past it had happened to Marcello Del Bello and Gianni Cucelli at Roland Garros 1948, overtaken respectively by Budge Patty and Frank Parker. At Roland Garros in 1956 it was the turn of Beppe Merlo (semi-finalist) and Nicola Pietrangeli (quarter-finals), both beaten by the Australian legend of Lew Hoad. At Roland Garros 1960 it was the turn of Nicola Pietrangeli (champion over Chilean Luis Ayala) and Orlando Sirola (eliminated in the semifinals by Luis Ayala). At Roland Garros 1973 Adriano Panatta reached the semifinals and Paolo Bertolucci the quarterfinals, both overtaken by Niki Pilic. Finally this year it had already happened at the Australian Open with Matteo Berrettini beaten in the semifinals by Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner stopped in the quarterfinals by Stefanos Tsitsipas.