Ilya Ivashka remembers his first martial arts class vividly. His friend, Andrei Kozlovsky, gave him a stern warning.

“He told me, ‘Man, don’t go there because they are going to break all your body’,” Ivashka recalled from when he was a child. “I was so scared. I said, ‘Okay, I’m not going there.’ I went to the first class. I was crying, they took me out and because of him I said I will never do it.”

The next sport Ivashka tried was tennis, because his father always played with a friend. Fast-forward two decades and Ivashka is competing in the US Open, where he is into the fourth round for the first time.

In the stands throughout the tournament has been Kozlovsky, who now is a professional dancer living in New York. It is safe to say his advice to Ivashka worked out. The 28-year-old is living his dream on one of the biggest stages in sports.

Ivashka’s 21-year-old brother, Aleksei, grew up playing many sports. “My brother tried all sports that exist in the world,” Ivashka said. “By 10, he changed [to] 25 different sports. But for me, [it was] not like this.”

It was all tennis all the time for Ivashka. Before he was a teen, he had already travelled outside Belarus to compete. One memory sticks out from when he was 12 years old.

Ivashka remembers playing a prestigious junior tournament in Bradenton, Florida. Training at the same facility was Andy Murray, who at the time was on the verge of cracking the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“To see him playing and just to get a photo was the best moment of the trip,” Ivashka said, before reflecting on their first practice together, which came earlier this year in Rotterdam. “When I got the chance to practise with him, it was a very nice moment. I found this photo on Facebook that I have. I don’t use the Facebook, but I went there and I had this photo from I think 2006.

“He was super nice. He’s a very, very nice guy. Even when we were practising, I didn’t know him and probably he didn’t know me as well… I talked with him and I showed him the picture from when I was young and he was super, super nice to me. We spoke and he’s a really nice guy.

“It was funny because he was looking [at the picture] like, ‘What’s happening with my hair? What’s happening on my head?’”

 

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In his late teens, Ivashka’s parents wanted him to consider going to college in the United States. But at the age of 19, he secured his first Pepperstone ATP Ranking point at a tournament in Kazakhstan, which left him hungry for more.

“I was thinking, ‘Okay, it’s unreal. I’m done here.’ I was so happy with just one ATP point and then it was coming. I was working a lot, practising a lot and that was the result,” Ivashka said. “At first you’re thinking [that getting] one point is something amazing. Then when you’re like [No.] 700, you think, ‘Ooh, I am better than half of the guys that are from my country, so maybe I can do a little bit more. Then [No.] 300, maybe I can play qualies of a Grand Slam, why not?’

“I was deleting the limits that I had in my head and I was seeing, ‘Okay, it’s possible, I can do it and I am playing good, so why not?’ Now it’s the same thing. [It is important] to unlock the things in the head and keep believing that I can do it.’”

After making his maiden ATP Tour semi-final in 2018 in Munich, Ivashka believed he was not too far from the top of the sport. Last year in Winston-Salem, he lifted his first ATP Tour trophy. Ivashka lost just five total games in his final two matches of the week, capturing the crown in emphatic fashion.

“It was something that I was dreaming of because I wanted at least to win one ATP title,” Ivashka said. “It was a huge thing for me.”

His effort that week in North Carolina showed the rest of the Tour that when he is at his best, Ivashka is as dangerous an opponent as anyone with his powerful baseline game. The only man that earned a set against him that week was former World No. 3 Marin Cilic.

“Ilya is a very big-hearted player, playing with heart and always fighting strong. You can see him every single match giving his best and pushing strong,” Cilic told ATPTour.com. “On the other side, he’s having that strong game, hitting big from the back of the court. Very solid.

“We’ve seen through the years so many Belarusians and Russians, the guys smacking the ball big. He’s definitely one of them, great backhand, great solid game. In order to beat him, you really have to play well and also be ready for a physical battle as well.”

Ivashka, who will play 11th seed Jannik Sinner for a place in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, keeps his big-picture expectations to himself. He prefers to show the world his best performance daily. When in form, there are few who can overpower the 28-year-old, who has defeated former World No. 11 Sam Querrey, eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz and 26th seed Lorenzo Musetti this year at Flushing Meadows.

“At the end, everybody tries to put his game style on the court and try to dominate. I feel comfortable in these types of games, to play fast and to have the rallies, but to hit hard and to try to play aggressive,” Ivashka said. “That is the main goal, to try to [play]  my game [so] that it will hurt the opponent.”

Ivashka wants to be the player who decides the match. So far, that strategy has worked out well on the quick New York hard courts.

“It feels incredible to be honest. I didn’t expect [it] coming here. I didn’t have very good results the past three weeks and I was not feeling so good, but I think the game was there and I was just trying my last effort in the States [this trip],” Ivashka said. “I’m really happy I’m going to the second week.”

Like many before him, Matteo Berrettini found there was no easy way past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the US Open on Sunday. Yet the Italian demonstrated his own ability to dig deep as he prevailed 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the pair’s fourth-round clash at the hard-court Grand Slam.

After a slow start that saw him trailing by a set and a break, Berrettini looked to have taken control of the three-hour, 45-minute encounter after finding rhythm behind his serve and huge forehand, but the Spaniard responded to some raucous support from the stands to storm back with a stirring fourth-set showing that forced a decider on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Berrettini, who missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon this season, was finally able to shake off the challenge of the World No. 39 in the fifth set by breaking Davidovich Fokina’s serve three times. Davidovich Fokina’s ability to mount a late comeback was hindered after he twisted his knee when serving at 3-2 in the decider, and despite twice receiving treatment from the physio he returned to court to fight to the end in front of an enraptured crowd. Berrettini nonetheless kept his cool to complete the win and level his ATP Head2Head series against Davidovich Fokina at 1-1.

With the win, the 26-year-old Berrettini reached the quarter-finals for his fifth consecutive Grand Slam appearance. He will next face fifth seed Casper Ruud or lucky loser Corentin Moutet. The Italian will try to reach the semi-finals in New York for the second time.

More to follow…

A blockbuster fourth-round clash between World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios headlines the action on Sunday at the US Open, where Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud are also seeking to reach the quarter-finals at the hard-court major in New York.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Day 7 at Flushing Meadows.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

1) Medvedev Vs. Kyrgios Part III: New York plays host to the third act of a gripping 2022 rivalry on Sunday as World No. 1 Medvedev and the in-form Kyrgios collide.

Medvedev proved too strong for the Australian over four sets at the Australian Open in January, but Kyrgios improved his lead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 3-1 with an impressive three-set triumph in Montreal in mid-August. A confident Kyrgios is 13-2 since reaching his maiden major final at Wimbledon in July, and Medvedev is prepared for a match of fine margins.

“We’ve played great matches. I think all have been quite tight on the scoreboard,” said Medvedev after defeating Wu Yibing in the third round in New York. “It’s 3-1 to him but I will try to do better this time and it will be a great match for people to watch.”

A spot in the quarter-finals is not the only thing on the line for Medvedev, who would lose his No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after the US Open should he fall to Kyrgios on Sunday. For Kyrgios, securing a quarter-final berth would lift the Australian back into the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

2) Berrettini To Brave Foki?: Matteo Berrettini fended off the challenge of 2012 champion Andy Murray on Friday to progress to the fourth round for the fourth consecutive year. Next up, the 13th seed faces another player renowned for his on-court resilience in Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Davidovich Fokina rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat Marton Fucsovics in the third round, and the World No. 39 will enter his second tour-level meeting against 2019 semi-finalist Berrettini with confidence — he was a straight-sets winner in the pair’s sole previous meeting on the clay in Monte Carlo in 2021.

3) Ruud Seeks To Halt Moutet’s Dream Run: Casper Ruud is into uncharted territory in New York. The Norwegian held firm to beat Tommy Paul over five sets on Friday and reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time. The run follows a significant breakthrough for Ruud at Grand Slam level after his maiden championship match appearance at Roland Garros in June.

Ruud’s next opponent, Corentin Moutet, thought his US Open was over eight days ago after falling in the final round of qualifying. Yet the Frenchman has seized his opportunity as a lucky loser to surge to the fourth round of a major for the first time. Sunday’s clash will be the maiden tour-level meeting between dangerous lefty Moutet and fifth seed Ruud.

4) Carreno Busta & Khachanov Clash: Is Pablo Carreno Busta embarking on another dream US Open run? The Spaniard was a semi-finalist in New York in 2017 and 2020, and the 12th seed has been a consistent performer so far this fortnight, defeating 2020 champion Dominic Thiem, Alexander Bublik and Alex de Minaur all in four sets.

The Montreal champion now meets Karen Khachanov as he chases his 10th win of the North American hard-court swing. The World No. 31 Khachanov has won the past three meetings between the pair, including clashes on hard courts at the Tokyo Olympics and at Indian Wells. Can Carreno Busta summon more New York magic to halt that trend on Sunday?

5) Ram/Salisbury Aim To Maintain Momentum: Defending doubles champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury have been in ominous form in New York so far, producing two straight-sets victories to reach the third round for the fourth year in a row. Yet their next opponents, Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, also know a thing or two about winning at the majors.

The Italians triumphed at the 2015 Australian Open and reached the semi-finals in New York in 2011. With both teams chasing their third tour-level titles of 2022, top seeds Ram and Salisbury could be set their biggest test yet as they chase their third Grand Slam crown.