Cincinnati, fatal tie-break for Berrettini: immediately out with Tiafoe

Matteo Berrettini’s adventure in the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati ends immediately. The blue was overtaken 7-6 (3) 4-6 7-6 (5) by the American Frances Tiafoe, victorious after a marathon of 2 hours and 52 minutes. The blue lost without ever having given up the serve in the match, canceling all 8 break points that Tiafoe got. But he played the two tie-breaks without too much conviction: that of the first set lost by 7 points to 3 and that of the third and decisive set lost by 7 points to 5.

The match

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The inertia of the match seemed to pass into Berrettini’s hands when Matteo, at 5-6 in the third set, canceled a match point by attacking with the forehand. Tiafoe guessed the direction of the blow, but his backhand passer went off by a few millimeters. But at the tie break the American placed the decisive mini-break right on 3 equal. Berrettini fell back from 6-3 to 6-5, canceling two more match points with the last ace of the match and a winner, but then he surrendered to the first useful ball that Tiafoe played with the service available . “The results – said Tiafoe at the end of the match – of the last matches have been decidedly liars. But I’m playing really well right now. I needed a win like this, against a strong and solid player like Berrettini, to prove my worth. It’s only a first round, but it was a great victory ”. Now Tiafoe, who since after the defeat against Goffin at Wimbledon has lost in the semifinals in Atlanta to Jenson Brooksby, to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and to Taylor Fritz last week in the second round of the Canadian Open, awaits Sebastian Korda in the second round. he beat the Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-4.

Murray and

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An endless battle also between two Grand Slam champions: the Scottish Andy Murray, champion in Cincinnati in 2008 and 2011, overtook the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 5-7 7-5 at the end of a match of 2 hours and 57 minutes. The former world number 1, playing very solidly, managed to prevail by making up for a late break at the beginning of the third set.

Italians

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Today six Italians on the pitch, four in the men’s singles and two in the women’s singles. At 17 Italian Jannik Sinner against Thanasi Kokkinakis and at the same time also Lorenzo Musetti against Borna Coric. In the Italian evening also Fabio Fognini (entered the draw as a lucky loser) against Albert Ramos Vinolas and the qualified Lorenzo Sonego against the American wild card Ben Shelton. In women, always as the second match in matches from 17 Italian, Camila Giorgi against Marta Kostyuk and later Martina Trevisan against Anna Kaliniskaya.