Title: Italian Trio Advances to Quarter-Finals as Berrettini Celebrates Resurgence

Matteo Berrettini declared that tennis remains the "love of my life" after securing a spot in his first Grand Slam quarter-final in nearly four years. The 30-year-old Italian defeated Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), and 7-6 (8-6). His victory places him among three Italians in the final eight of the tournament—a historic first for the Open era—even though world number one Jannik Sinner was eliminated in the second round.

Berrettini, who finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2021 and peaked at world number six in 2022, has struggled with injuries and fitness issues in recent years, causing his ranking to drop to 105th. He now stands as the lowest-ranked player to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals since Igor Andreev in 2007. Reflecting on his journey, Berrettini said, "[Tennis] is the love of my life, if it wasn't I wouldn't be here." He added, "After all the setbacks, all the injuries, all the bad moments, I came back once again. There were moments where it was really tough to come back and play, because I wasn't ready and I wasn't sure about my confidence - now I feel great."

His last appearance in the final four of a major was at the 2022 US Open, and he has missed six of the subsequent 13 Grand Slams due to injury. Berrettini entered the match following the longest contest of his career in the previous round, where he saved two match points to win in five hours and 16 minutes, suggesting his physical struggles may be behind him. He showed no signs of fatigue against Cerundolo, dominating the first set and winning the second via a tie-break. Although Cerundolo broke Berrettini’s serve to lead 3-2 in the third, Berrettini leveled the score at 5-5, saved three match points, and clinched the match in a decisive tie-break.

He will face compatriot Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals. Arnaldi, currently ranked 104th, secured his place in the last eight after a grueling five-hour, 12-minute victory over 19th-seeded Frances Tiafoe. The 10th seed Flavio Cobolli also advanced by defeating Zachary Svajda in four sets. Arnaldi’s win over Tiafoe was particularly dramatic; after breaking the American server in the fourth set and holding serve in the decider’s ninth game, Arnaldi converted his third match point to win 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (5-7), 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), and 6-4.

"I don't know how I am standing here," Arnaldi admitted. "Today in the third set, I was so tired, but we live to play these matches. At one point, it wasn't tennis, it was something else."

The upcoming match guarantees that at least one Italian, and specifically one player ranked outside the top 100, will reach the semi-finals. Berrettini noted the unpredictability of the sport, stating, "The field is pretty packed and I'm trying to give my best, I'm focusing on my game and I want to enjoy this win."

In other action, Felix Auger-Aliassime utilized his experience to navigate a challenging tie against Alejandro Tabilo, winning 6-3, 7-5, and 6-1. Although Tabilo, who had rested significantly after a second-round walkover, started strongly and raised his level in the second set, Auger-Aliassime regained control. The Canadian broke Tabilo at 5-4 in the second set to serve out the game, and the Chilean’s resistance collapsed in the third, where he was broken three times. "Since I was 12 or 13 it has always been a dream for me to get this far," Auger-Aliassime said.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-01 23:28:24 UTC