08 September,2021 06:50 AM IST | New York | AFP
Matteo Berrettini celebrates winning the third set against Oscar Otte during his US Open round-of-16 match in New York on Monday. Pics/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic struggled but advanced within three matches of completing the first men's singles calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 years on Monday by outlasting American Jenson Brooksby at the US Open.
World No. 1 Djokovic rallied past 99th-ranked Brooksby 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to book a quarter-final encounter with Italian sixth seed Matteo Berrettini, whom Djokovic called the âHammer of Tennis' as "probably the hardest hitter of serve and forehand" next to 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro, in a rematch of July's Wimbledon final.
"It's going to be exciting," Djokovic said. "He loves the big stage. Big serve, big game overall. I know what to expect. Going to try to prepare a good game plan and hope for the best. He's got the lethal-serve-plus-one game. He's already established as a top player," Djokovic said. "If he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, he's tough. He's tough on any surface to play against."
The Serbian star, 34, would become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to sweep all four major titles in the same year by capturing his fourth career US Open crown. Djokovic also seeks a men's singles record 21st Slam trophy, which would boost him one ahead of "Big Three" rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both absent with injuries.
In all, Djokovic won 15 of the last 20 games, rolling to victory in the stamina test after two hours and 59 minutes. Berrettini advanced by defeating 144th-ranked German qualifier Oscar Otte 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Tokyo Olympic champions Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic advanced with straight-set triumphs, as did British qualifier Emma Raducanu, 18. German fourth seed Zverev stretched his win streak to 15 matches by beating Italian 13th seed Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
Swiss 11th seed Bencic eliminated Polish seventh seed Iga Swiatek, last year's French Open champion, 7-6 (14/12), 6-3.
And 150th-ranked Raducanu ripped 43rd-ranked American Shelby Rogers 6-2, 6-1 in 66 minutes. Raducanu is only the third qualifier to reach the US Open women's quarter-finals after Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in 2017 and American Barbara Gerken in 1981.
Zverev, last year's US Open runner-up, reached his seventh career Slam quarter-final and fourth in the past five Slams. He will next face 46th-ranked Lloyd Harris of South Africa, who eliminated US 22nd seed Reilly Opelka 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.
Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova, this year's Wimbledon runner-up, beat Russian 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-4. She next faces Greek 17th seed Maria Sakkari, who ousted 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (8/6), 6-3. The Canadian sixth seed was limping with a left thigh injury in the final games before suffering her first US Open loss after three hours and 30 minutes.
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