Matteo Berrettini moved into the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time on Saturday night with a 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Soonwoo Kwon of South Korea.
The ninth-seeded Italian is now 21-5 on the season after striking 52 winners, including 22 aces, past World No. 91 Kwon in two hours and 11 minutes. He will next prepare to face eighth-seeded Swiss Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, who beat Dominik Koepfer of Germany later in the day.
Berrettini started the week in ninth position in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and a deep run in the French capital will further boost his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 14-21 November this year, for the second time (2019).
The 25-year-old missed almost two months of this season due to a hernia/groin injury and has since compiled a 13-3 record on European clay, which includes capturing his fourth ATP Tour title at the Belgrade Open (d. Karatsev) and a run to the Mutua Madrid Open final (l. to Zverev).
Berrettini, who beat Taro Daniel and Federico Coria in the first two rounds in Paris, was made to work hard in the first set against Kwon, who saved three break points in the second game and four break points at 5-5. Berrettini won the first three points of the tie-break and led 6/3, before Kwon recovered to 6/6. The Italian wrapped up the set with a forehand drop shot winner.
Having won the 54-minute opener, Berrettini relaxed. He clinched a 5-3 advantage in the second set when Kwon hit a forehand long, with the same shot breaking down in the next game. From 3-3 in the second set, Berrettini won six of the next seven games, continually putting Kwon under pressure from the baseline. The Italian won 51 of 61 first-service points (84 per cent).
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Federer leads Berrettini 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the pair has not met on clay. The Italian hasn’t played Koepfer before.
The ninth-seeded Italian is now 21-5 on the season after striking 52 winners, including 22 aces, past World No. 91 Kwon in two hours and 11 minutes. He will next prepare to face eighth-seeded Swiss Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, who beat Dominik Koepfer of Germany later in the day.
Berrettini started the week in ninth position in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and a deep run in the French capital will further boost his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 14-21 November this year, for the second time (2019).
The 25-year-old missed almost two months of this season due to a hernia/groin injury and has since compiled a 13-3 record on European clay, which includes capturing his fourth ATP Tour title at the Belgrade Open (d. Karatsev) and a run to the Mutua Madrid Open final (l. to Zverev).
Berrettini, who beat Taro Daniel and Federico Coria in the first two rounds in Paris, was made to work hard in the first set against Kwon, who saved three break points in the second game and four break points at 5-5. Berrettini won the first three points of the tie-break and led 6/3, before Kwon recovered to 6/6. The Italian wrapped up the set with a forehand drop shot winner.
Having won the 54-minute opener, Berrettini relaxed. He clinched a 5-3 advantage in the second set when Kwon hit a forehand long, with the same shot breaking down in the next game. From 3-3 in the second set, Berrettini won six of the next seven games, continually putting Kwon under pressure from the baseline. The Italian won 51 of 61 first-service points (84 per cent).
Follow Live Scores At RolandGarros.com
Federer leads Berrettini 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the pair has not met on clay. The Italian hasn’t played Koepfer before.