WHAT HAPPENED: German qualifier Oscar Otte was keeping No. 6 seed Matteo Berrettini off-balance for three sets in their Round of 16 encounter, enough to gamely stay in the match and within a set of the 2019 US Open finalist. But in the fourth set, it was Otte’s own balance that sealed the outcome.
Serving at 1-2 in the fourth set, with Berrettini leading two sets to one, Otte stumbled after landing from an overhead, somersaulted backward, and hurt his wrist enough to call the trainer. He actually won the point and served out the game after the medical timeout. But the wrist was hurt and he didn’t win another game. The match was over soon, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Otte literally tumbled out of the tournament.
The 28-year-old ranked No. 144 had made an inspired run for his best Grand Slam result ever and today left his heart out on the court, as well as some skin. He kept up with Berrettini in the serve department. Until the injury, Otte was putting in 81% of his first serves to Berrettini’s 85%.
But Berrettini’s brawny game was clicking enough to control most of the match. Before the injury changed its tenor, he had twice as many winners as his opponent, 32 to 16.
“We can talk about the first part of the match and he got injured, and there wasn’t a match anymore,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “I said to him, he had a great run and he didn’t deserve to end like this. Now it’s tough to talk about the match, but I really enjoyed the support from the beginning. There are a lot of people that really support me. Let’s talk about the atmosphere that was really great.”
WHAT IT MEANS: Berrettini remains in the draw as a serious threat to Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam mission (should the world No. 1 beat American Jenson Brooksby in tonight’s prime-time match). The Italian took a set off Djokovic both times they played this year, in the Wimbledon final on grass and the Rome quarterfinal on clay. New York’s skiddy hard courts might give Berrettini a better chance at the upset by accentuating his massive flat power.
Should Djokovic make their projected quarterfinal, Berrettini will be a much different class of opponent than the Serb has thus far faced in the tournament. Djokovic has yet to play a Top 50 opponent.
If Berrettini’s opponent is Brooksby—who broke Djokovic in his first service game and grabbed a 3-0 lead—Berrettini will be the heavy favorite to make his second US Open semifinal, but the American will have the crowd behind him.
After a breakthrough tournament, Otte’s immediate future is uncertain. “I just go back home tomorrow and then try to get more clearance with the doctors and MRI,” he said. “All I have to say right now is that the end wasn't how I wanted it to end, of course. I'm pretty disappointed, but I can't change it. All in all, would say still a very good tournament.” Indeed, the 180 points he earns should move him up about 30 spots in the rankings—likely to be a career high.
MATCH POINT: The match was the second one of the day between a German and Italian. In the first, German Alexander Zverev beat Italian Jannik Sinner.
