Sawt Falasteen - Berrettini back in French Open quarters after injury 'darkness'

The former Wimbledon finalist, who has been plagued by injuries, won 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (8/6) against Argentinian Cerundolo, who had dumped out world number one Jannik Sinner in the second round.

"This (tennis) is the love of my life, I guess, otherwise I wouldn't keep coming back after all the setbacks, the injuries," said Berrettini.

"There were moments it was really tough to come back and hit a ball... But now I'm back and it's thanks to them (his team), my character and my resilience."

Berrettini, the world number 105, is the lowest-ranked Roland Garros men's quarter-finalist since Igor Andreev in 2007.

It is the first year Berrettini has even played at the French Open since a last-eight loss to Novak Djokovic five years ago.

"It does make it sweeter, because I actually remember now how sad I was," he said of his injury troubles.

"I was lucky enough to have people around me that helped me to find the kind of energy, to find the positive vibes, the positive thoughts, which is not easy to find when you're in the darkness a little bit, when things are not coming your way, and you're struggling just to hit few balls or just struggling to compete."

The 30-year-old will next face either American 19th seed Frances Tiafoe or fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi on Wednesday.

Berrettini, who lost the 2021 Wimbledon showpiece to Novak Djokovic, is the only Grand Slam finalist left in his half of the draw and one of only two remaining in the men's tournament, alongside Alexander Zverev.

"There are so many players who are playing unbelievable tennis," said Berrettini when asked about the open nature of the draw after surprise early defeats for Sinner and Djokovic.

"Tennis -- it's unpredictable... 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."

- Berrettini shows staying power -

He showed few ill-effects of playing the longest match of his career when he beat Francisco Comesana, saving two match points, in the previous round.

On Monday, Berrettini powered through the first two sets, saving the only break point he faced in the opening game.

Cerundolo, who also won in a deciding-set tie-break in round three in the third-longest match in Roland Garros history, dug deep and broke for a 3-2 lead in the third set.

But he failed to serve it out and then missed three set points from 6-3 up in the tie-break.

Berrettini took full advantage, reaching his first major quarter-final since the 2022 US Open on his first match point, as Cerundolo could only dump a blistering return into the net.

I.Saadi--SF-PST