US Open 2019: 5 best men's matches from this year's tournament

#2 Quarterfinals: Matteo Berrettini beats Gael Monfils 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 7-6(5)

Berrettini outlasts Monfils in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal

Gael Monfils followed up his five-set third-round slugfest over Denis Shapovalov with a breezy fourth-round win over Spaniard Pablo Andujar to arrive in his fourth quarterfinal at the US Open, against first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Matteo Berrettini.

Berrettini was slow off the blocks as Monfils went a set and a break up before the Italian responded with a break of the Frenchman's serve.

Another break of the Monfils serve for 5-3 enabled Berrettini to level the match at a set apiece. Spurred on by his upturn in fortune, the Rome native broke Monfils twice in the third set to move within a set of his maiden Slam semifinal.

But Monfils was not done yet. The French veteran converted his fifth break point opportunity in the fourth game of the set and the lone break would suffice as Monfils restored parity at two sets all.

Berrettini exults after surviving a five-set thriller against Monfils

Monfils' challenge seemed to have wilted in the decider when Berrettini surged to a 5-2 lead. But when a nervy Berrettini double-faulted on match point at 5-3 40-30, Monfils brought his big-match experience to the fore and got back on serve.

Berrettini saw two more match points come and go in the next game on the Frenchman's serve as Monfils forced a deciding set tiebreak.

To his credit, the Italian carved out a further pair of match points at 6-4 in the tiebreak. Although Monfils saved the first, Berrettini came good at the fifth time of asking to move into his first Grand Slam semifinal.

In the process, Berrettini emulated his compatriot Corrado Barazzutti to become the first Italian player in 42 years to reach the last four in New York.

On the day, Berrettini enjoyed great success by walloping winners, carving out angles and displaying impressive tactical nous by employing his sliced backhand to set up his more potent forehand, as an exhausted Monfils ran out of steam.