“I’m happy with my game. I did not play my best tennis, but I knew how to raise my level on the key points”, analyzed the Italian who will celebrate his 22 years on August 16 and who said to himself “happy to be again second week” at Flushing Meadows.

He will face the German Alexander Zverev (12th and finalist in 2020) or the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (19th) on Monday, with his sights set on a quarter-final revenge against the world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz. Last year, already in the quarters, the Spaniard had eliminated the Italian after a Homeric match, before beating Casper Ruud in the final to afford his first Grand Slam title and become the youngest N.1 world of history.