Nadal to face Medvedev for title

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.” Nadal, who shook off an early-season right hip injury to win a 12th French Open title, seeks his fourth US Open crown -- one short of the Open-era record of five shared by Federer, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors -- to reach the brink of Federer’s mark.

“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.” Nadal, into his 27th Grand Slam final, beat Medvedev in last month’s Montreal final in their only prior meeting. But the world number two skipped Cincinnati, where Medvedev was champion the following week. “He’s one of the more solid players on tour,” Nadal said of Medvedev.

“He’s making steps forward every single week. “I need to be playing at my best.” Medvedev, in his first Grand Slam final at 23, has gone 20-2 in the past six weeks with runner-up efforts in Washington and Canada, a title in Cincinnati and a breakthrough US Open run. “I’m just happy to be in the final,” Medvedev said. “When I was going to the USA, I didn’t know it was going to be this good. So I have to say I love the USA.”

Medvedev is the first Russian in a men’s Grand Slam final since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open title and the first Russian to reach the US Open final since Safin won the 2000 crown. Nadal has dropped only one set at the Open but was severely tested by 24th seed Berrettini, the first Italian man in the US Open semi-finals since Corrado Barazzutti in 1977. Berrettini denied Nadal on six breakpoints in the first set, jumped ahead 4-0 in the tiebreak and seized two set points at 6-4 as the Ashe crowd roared with delight.