US Open: Munar makes last 16 for the first time in career, Musetti next
Jaume Munar defeated Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday evening and will face No 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the next round
Jaume Munar, 2025 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Spaniard Jaume Munar has reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, defeating Belgian Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Saturday.
The victory, which marks a significant personal milestone for the world No. 44, was overshadowed by a tense exchange at the net at the end of the match. The dispute stemmed from a controversial shot made by Bergs at 4-4 in the third set. After a backhand volley went awry, Bergs sarcastically commented, “Oh, sorry! That’s a bad volley!” The chair umpire immediately responded by issuing a “code violation, ball abuse warning, point penalty,” which resulted in a point penalty, sealing the win for Munar on two blank games.
Munar’s performance has been exceptional throughout the tournament. He’s been playing a high level of tennis since the first round, benefiting from a favorable section of the draw. His journey included a solid victory over No. 31 seed Gabriel Diallo (7-5, 6-3, 7-5) and a walkover when No. 5 seed Jack Draper was forced to withdraw.
The 28-year-old Spaniard has finally broken through a significant career barrier. Before Wimbledon, he had a tough 0-11 record in Grand Slam second-round matches. He successfully broke that streak by reaching the third round in London, and now, he has surpassed it with his entry into the US Open’s fourth round. This achievement has propelled him to a new career-high of No. 37 in the live rankings.
Munar will face a challenging opponent in the Round of 16 in No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti. While Munar holds a commanding 4-1 head-to-head record against the Italian, Musetti has been in top form himself since the first round. The two will meet on Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
New York (Grand Slam), other third-round results (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 90.000.000, most recent results first):
- Alexander Bublik vs. Tommy Paul
- Alexander Zverev vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Daniel Altmaier vs. Alex De Minaur
- Kamil Majchrzak vs. Leandro Riedi
- Chak Lam Coleman Wong vs. Andrey Rublev: saturday
- Jannik Sinner vs. Denis Shapovalov: saturday
- Lorenzo Musetti beat Flavio Cobolli (24): 6-3, 6-2, 2-0 ret.
- Taylor Fritz (4) beat Jerome Kym (Q): 7-6 (3), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4
- Tomas Machac (21) beat Ugo Blanchet (Q): 7-5, 6-3, 6-1
- Novak Djokovic (7) beat Cameron Norrie: 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3
- Jan-Lennard Struff (Q) beat Frances Tiafoe (17): 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7)
- Adrian Mannarino beat Ben Shelton (6): 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 ret.
- Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Luciano Darderi (32): 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
- Arthur Rinderknech beat Benjamin Bonzi: 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
- Jiri Lehecka (20) beat Raphael Collignon: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
