Berrettini beats Cerundolo in the Montecarlo Master 1000 and goes to the round of 16 – breaking latest news

The most beautiful gift, Matteo Berrettini made himself. By beating 5-7 7-6 6-4 in two hours and 41′ the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo – number 33 in the world – the Roman, who turns 27 today, advances to the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Montecarlo, where he will face the Danish talent Holger Rune, who defeated Austrian Dominic Thiem.

one of those victories which, due to the way it arrived, could be an electroshock: everything seemed so easy, at least looking at the first half hour of play, that it wasn’t true. Then, however, the game got bloody complicated. With his heart, what is needed in such complicated moments of a career, Berrettini got back up and, by recovering a set, he went through. When Matteo, ruler of the first five games, was only one away from winning the set and everything foreshadowed a quiet day of celebration (in the morning, social greetings from Melissa Satta had also arrived, as well as obviously the private ones), at the suddenly the game turned. First break immediately in the seventh game, then, in the ninth, first a set point conquered with service and forehand but failed by Berrettini with another forehand on the back, then a backhand in the corridor which gave the break point to Cerundolo, immediately transformed with a great answer. The Argentinian went up 5-5 and then put in the sixth game in a row and then the seventh, closing at the second set point.

The second set started in a more balanced way: Berrettini tried to regain confidence, as demonstrated by the beautiful short ball to go 40-15 in the third game (Matteo’s second round of service). Another unfavorable ribbon, followed by a crossed backhand loop, brought the set back into balance (2-2). Another big point was the one he gave Matteo the 30-15 in the seventh game, after an exhausting exchange: a double straight with the winner of 4-3. The ribbon, on the very important first point of the ninth game, was a friend of the blue: an advantage that Berrettini followed up with an ace and a service and forehand, before Cerundolo’s long backhand.

Still holding the service at 6-5, Berrettini is back in the first five games: the wrong short ball from the Argentine – who made even papa Luca jump to his feet – gave Matteo two set points. The first failed with a bad forehand in the corridor, then a good first run by Cerundolo canceled out the second as well. The third, favored by another mistake by the South American, flew away with another great forehand at 156 kilometers per hour, but Matteo got a fourth with an excellent reading on the net, but this too was neutralized with a forehand by Cerundolo, who eventually earned the tiebreak.

In the decisive game, however, Berrettini ran away, taking the first six points (the first three of which thanks to the kind collaboration of the opponent) and releasing the scream on 7-1 which extended the game to the third. Before starting it, Matteo called the physiotherapist and took an anti-inflammatory for a back problem, then he resumed playing, also supported by the audience at the Campo dei Principi. The match spun off on the edge of balance, even if Berrettini gave the impression of accusing pain, trying several times to speed up the closing of the exchange.

The fifth game was the decisive one: on the fourth occasion, and with three double faults by Cerundolo, Matteo’s break arrived with a good answer. At 3-2 30-15, first a double fault, then an ace to chase away the nightmares. Berrettini had two balls from the double break, not transformed, but he did his duty when serving (great short ball to go 40-0). And the same thing happened in the decisive round: Cerundolo’s backhand in the corridor gave the match point to Matteo, who had one more ally in the last point: the tape.