Berrettini fends off teen sensation Alcaraz in 5-set thriller
Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini has fended off 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (5) to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The seventh-seeded Berrettini wasted a match point when Alcaraz was serving to force a fifth-set tiebreaker, netting a return to a second serve.
But the 25-year-old Italian dominated the match super tiebreaker, taking a 9-5 lead to get four more match points before No. 31-ranked Alcaraz finished with a double-fault.
“He’s unbelievable. At his age, I didn’t even have an ATP point,” Berrettini said. “He’s impressive. He’ll only improve, playing matches like this. He’s showed everyone his potential.”
Berrettini advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the second straight year and for the eighth time at a Grand Slam event, equaling Fabio Fognini and Andriano Panatta's Open-era record for the most by an Italian man.
No. 14-seeded Denis Shapovalov beat No. 23 Reilly Opelka 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in another men's third-round match.