Arthur Rinderknech, 73rd player in the world, qualified for the third round of the US Open on Thursday by benefiting from the abandonment on injury of the Italian Matteo Berrettini (36th), who twisted his right ankle in the second set. The Frenchman was leading the match 6-4, 5-3 when Berrettini got injured. At 28, Rinderknech had never passed the second round in a Grand Slam tournament. He will face either his compatriot Gaël Monfils (162nd) or the Russian Andrey Rublev (8th) on Saturday.
For Berrettini, who accumulates injuries, it’s a new blow. In March 2022, the Roman had wrist surgery and had already missed the clay-court season. He then forfeited just before his first round at Wimbledon due to a positive Covid test. This year he was knocked out in the first round of the Australian Open by a raging Andy Murray, then he dropped out in the quarter-finals in Acapulco and was beaten as soon as he entered the competition in Indian Wells. After playing a Challenger tournament in Phoenix, where he was beaten in the quarterfinals, he then gave in again to Miami. In Monte Carlo in April, he won his first Masters 1000 match in a year and advanced to the second round but with an abdominal injury he withdrew before his quarter against Holger Rune and then retired from the season on clay.
Berrettini resumed competition in June on the grass of Stuttgart but was beaten from the start by his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego. Then he reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon where he was beaten in four sets by eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz.