Round 2; Taylor Fritz vs. Matteo Berrettini
Louis Armstrong Stadium – Night Session – Second Match
- No. 12 seed and No. 1 American Taylor Fritz faces former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in a hotly-anticipated Round 2 night-session match in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Day 3 of the 2024 US Open. This clash of two former Top 10 players comes after they each won relatively easily in Round 1. 2023 US Open quarterfinalist Fritz was a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli on Day 1 in Louis Armstrong Stadium, while 2019 US Open semifinalist Berrettini topped Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-3 on Court 7.
- Fritz will enter this match knowing the danger posed by the former world No. 6's booming serve and forehand, but he has reason to feel good: He's 3-0 against Berrettini in his career, and all of those wins have come on hard courts. But they've all been tight matches, with their most recent meeting–last year in January's United Cup–having been decided in two tiebreaks.
- This match has personal milestones on the line. Fritz is seeking to join Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud as men with 40 match wins in 2024, while Berrettini seeks to become the fifth Italian man in the Open Era to record 50 singles victories at Grand Slam level.
- Berrettini last beat a Top 20 player at a Grand Slam tournament last year, when he toppled Alex de Minaur at Wimbledon, and is 7-12 against such players in his career. His last win at a hard-court Grand Slam over a player in that ranking range came at the 2022 Australian Open, against then-No. 20 Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals. (Ironically, Berrettini's only victory over a Top 20 opponent at the US Open also came over Monfils, in the quarterfinals of his run five years ago.)
- Berrettini is also seeking the US Open third round for the fifth time in the last six years, with that streak having ended in heartbreaking fashion last year when he injured his ankle in Round 2 and was forced to retire from the match. A foot injury delayed the start to his 2024 season, and while physical concerns are always looming for the 28-year-old, Berrettini has been torrid when he's stepped on court: He's won three titles (all on clay) this year, and after being ranked as low as No. 154 in March, he's now at No. 44.
