Away from the main show courts, Matteo Berrettini has quietly gone about his business over the past seven days and the cinch Championships titlist is now a Wimbledon quarter-finalist.
The seventh-seeded Italian extended his grass-court winning streak to nine matches on Monday, once again executing a strong service performance for a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in one hour and 47 minutes on Court 12.
“I feel like I'm not using a lot of energy, because I won most of my matches in three sets,” said Berrettini. “It's really good for me if I look at the long run. I feel [that] I am playing the best tennis of my career.
“[Two years ago] I was playing [well], but everything was kind of new. I had to adjust a little bit. Now I have more confidence for sure, more experience as well. I know I can achieve my best results like [I reached the] quarters in Paris [at Roland Garros and] quarters here. Obviously, the tournament is not done yet. I'm really looking forward to achieving even more.”
On Wednesday, the level of scrutiny will increase when Berrettini plays 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada at the All England Club.
But the 25-year-old, who is in a strong position to once again qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 13-19 November in Turin, is more than used to being in the spotlight. Berrettini has won 30 of 35 matches this year, including his fifth ATP Tour title at the Serbia Open (d. Karatsev) and a runner-up finish in his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Zverev).
He is the fifth Italian man to have reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, after Uberto De Morpurgo (1928), Nicola Pietrangeli (1955, 1960), Adriano Panatta (1979) and Davide Sanguinetti (1998).
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Once Berrettini came through a 12-point hold for a 3-1 lead in the first set, which lasted 37 minutes, it was relatively smooth sailing against Ivashka, who broke just once at 2-5 in the second set. World No. 9 Berrettini won 12 of the first 14 points for a 3-0 lead in the third set and completed his 30th match win of the season having won 32 of 38 first-service points.
“I'm pretty happy with my level, for the intensity, for my mindset over all the games and stuff,” said Berrettini. “I was pretty focused. [But] I had a game that I didn't serve that well on [at] 5-2 in the second [set].”
Berrettini will now prepare to improve a 1-0 advantage over Auger-Aliassime. Berrettini beat the #NextGenATP star in the 2019 MercedesCup final on Stuttgart’s grass.
The seventh-seeded Italian extended his grass-court winning streak to nine matches on Monday, once again executing a strong service performance for a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in one hour and 47 minutes on Court 12.
“I feel like I'm not using a lot of energy, because I won most of my matches in three sets,” said Berrettini. “It's really good for me if I look at the long run. I feel [that] I am playing the best tennis of my career.
“[Two years ago] I was playing [well], but everything was kind of new. I had to adjust a little bit. Now I have more confidence for sure, more experience as well. I know I can achieve my best results like [I reached the] quarters in Paris [at Roland Garros and] quarters here. Obviously, the tournament is not done yet. I'm really looking forward to achieving even more.”
On Wednesday, the level of scrutiny will increase when Berrettini plays 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada at the All England Club.
But the 25-year-old, who is in a strong position to once again qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 13-19 November in Turin, is more than used to being in the spotlight. Berrettini has won 30 of 35 matches this year, including his fifth ATP Tour title at the Serbia Open (d. Karatsev) and a runner-up finish in his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Zverev).
He is the fifth Italian man to have reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, after Uberto De Morpurgo (1928), Nicola Pietrangeli (1955, 1960), Adriano Panatta (1979) and Davide Sanguinetti (1998).
View Schedule | Listen To Radio Wimbledon | List Of Broadcasters (PDF)
Once Berrettini came through a 12-point hold for a 3-1 lead in the first set, which lasted 37 minutes, it was relatively smooth sailing against Ivashka, who broke just once at 2-5 in the second set. World No. 9 Berrettini won 12 of the first 14 points for a 3-0 lead in the third set and completed his 30th match win of the season having won 32 of 38 first-service points.
“I'm pretty happy with my level, for the intensity, for my mindset over all the games and stuff,” said Berrettini. “I was pretty focused. [But] I had a game that I didn't serve that well on [at] 5-2 in the second [set].”
Berrettini will now prepare to improve a 1-0 advantage over Auger-Aliassime. Berrettini beat the #NextGenATP star in the 2019 MercedesCup final on Stuttgart’s grass.