Rafael Nadal will play for his 19th Grand Slam title, one shy of Roger Federer's all-time men's record, after battling past Italy's Matteo Berrettini on Friday and into his fifth US Open final.
The 33-year-old Spaniard dispatched Berrettini 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach a Sunday showdown against Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, who ousted Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-3.
"Very happy to be back into the final of the US Open," Nadal said.
"It means a lot to be back where I am today after some tough moments at the beginning of the season."
"It's just another chance on Sunday," Nadal said. "I want to enjoy a day off, have a good practice and Sunday is the day to play my best."
"I need to be playing at my best."
"I'm just happy to be in the final," Medvedev said. "When I was going to USA, I didn't know it was going to be this good. So I have to say I love USA."
"I was lucky to win that first set," Nadal said. "First set had been a little bit frustrating. You don't want to be in a tie-breaker against a player like Matteo after you have missed all those opportunities."
"I played calm more and super aggressive."
- Medvedev draws cheers -
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"Then the momentum changed completely. I was playing better than him in the next two sets. We had some amazing level."
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