Australian Open: 7th seed Berrettini beats Monfils, sets up semi-final clash with Nadal
Australian Open: 7th seed Berrettini beats Monfils, sets up semi-final clash with Nadal
Seventh-seeded Matteo Berrettini defeated Gael Monfils in a thrilling five-setter on Tuesday to set up a semi-final clash with Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open.
Berrettini went past Monfils 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena to become the first Italian man to reach the last-four round at the Australian Open.
"It feels unbelievable. I am really happy for myself. What a great fight against Gael. It was a great match with a lot of emotions. I thought I had him in the third set and then I found myself in the fifth. But I really fought hard and put everything on the court and that is why I am really happy," Berrettini said in his on-court interview.
Nadal and Berrettini have a two-day break before their fixture in Melbourne on Friday.
Berrettini, who improved his head to head to 3-0 against Frenchman Monfils, played aggressively to dominate the agile opponent.
While Monfils played the game defensively in the third and fourth set to force a decider fifth set, Berrettini fired 50 winners in the final set to seal the game in three hours and 48 minutes.
"I was just focused on winning the match. I had a couple of break points [in the third set] and I couldn't take them and tennis is like this. It happened with Alcaraz as well. I was leading and then they start to play better," added Berrettini in the same interview.
Ranked seventh in the world, Berrettini played his first Grand Slam semi-final in 2019 at the US Open. Coincidently it was against Nadal, who won the game in straight sets and went on to clinch the title as well in New York.
Last year, Berrettini made his maiden Grand Slam final appearance when he took on Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon. Berrettini won the first set but ended up losing the next three as the World No. 1 sixth title at the All England Club.
On Friday, Nadal will aim to qualify for his 29th Grand Slam final, while 25-year-old Berrettini will look to stop his celebrated opponent to progress to his career's second major final.