Matteo Berrettini says he is ‘ready’ for his showdown against Taylor Fritz in the second round of the US Open.
The former Grand Slam finalist is yet to beat Fritz on the Tour and has only taken one set off the American in their three previous meetings. However, Berrettini is optimistic that he will be able to end the losing streak this year in Flushing Meadows which is the only Grand Slam where the Italian has reached the quarter-final stage or better on three separate occasions.
“You ask me if I feel ready? I feel ready.” He said about facing Fritz.
Berrettini began his US Open campaign with a 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-3 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of Monday. It is the sixth year in a row that he has won his opening match at the tournament. Meanwhile, Fritz beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.
The upcoming encounter provides Berrettini with the chance to claim his third win over a top 20 players this season and his first on a hard court. Since Wimbledon, he has won two titles on clay but lost in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters to Holger Rune.
“Every time we played was a tough match,” Berrettini commented on his rivalry with Fritz. “And of course, he loves to play here, his tournament in a way—here and Indian Wells. Hell of [a lot of] support, really strong player.
“It’s going to be a tough match, but that’s why I’m training. Why I’m working really hard this season to come back at this level.”
Fritz is also high in confidence at his home Grand Slam but admits the upcoming showdown could be a tricky encounter. The 26-year-old is defending a large amount of points after reaching the quarter-finals in New York last year.
“It’s a tough second round. In the head-to-head, I’ve been able to get him, but it’s always been really close. It always will be because both of us are big servers. It’s going to be a lot of serving, a lot of holding.” Fritz said during his press conference.
“It’s going to come down to how we perform. How I play when I’m a breakpoint down and how he plays when he’s a breakpoint down, stuff like that. If someone comes up with something on a big point, it’s small margins when there’s two people with big games playing each other.”
If Berrettini wins, it will be the first time this season has reached the third round of a major event.
