Rafael Nadal Defeats Matteo Berrettini to Secure Spot in the 2019 U.S. Open Men's Singles Final
Rafael Nadal is back in a U.S. Open final.
The Spanish tennis star, 33, defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday night at the 2019 U.S. Open. Nadal will go for his 19th Grand Slam title on Sunday.
“In the tiebreak I was a little bit lucky. I survived in that moment,” Nadal said during an on-court interview, USA Today reported. “I started to play with more calm and a little bit more aggressive. I’m super happy to be back in the final of the US Open.”
“He’s a great player,” Nadal said of Berrettini, according to USA Today. “He has a great future in front of him. I just tried to stay focused on the point… Today I was lucky to win that first set.”
The match was a star-studded affair with Jonas Brothers’ Nick, 26, and Joe, 30 watching on intensely.
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Ahead of the match, Nadal was seeded 2nd, while the Italian Berrettini, 23, was seeded 24th. Berrettini was just the second Italian man in tournament history to reach the semifinals, according to the ATP. Last year, he lost in the Open’s first round.
Nadal previously won the U.S. Open three times, most recently in 2017. He has 18 Grand Slam singles titles, and will play in the 2019 U.S. Open men’s singles final on Sunday.
Over the summer, Nadal made history when he claimed his 12th title overall at the French Open. The star is undefeated in his French Open appearances and holds the most titles for singles, male or female, in tennis history. This year’s win was also his third straight French Open win.
The tournament ends with the women’s singles final on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. EST and the men’s singles final on Sunday, Sept. 8, also at 4 p.m. EST.
In Sunday’s title match, Nadal will compete against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
