Wimbledon, Berrettini beats Ivashka and is in the quarterfinals

“Stay lucid, the road is long. But if you keep your mental freshness, you will move forward in the tournament.” So Boris Becker had told him in the fortuitous meeting in the driveways of Wimbledon before the start of the tournament. Words that will have resonated in his mind and that today, he has finally put into practice at the highest level. Matteo Berrettini thus surpasses Ilya Ivashka in three sets 6-4 6-3 6-1, and is placed in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time in his career after the round of 16 of 2019 when he was defeated by Federer. A very solid performance, in which he showed perhaps his best version from the beginning of the tournament between serve, points to the net and aggression. Now we will have to wait until late afternoon to see if Lorenzo Sonego, who this time has the challenge with King Roger, will be able to reach him.

The match

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Matteo starts well in the first set even if he does not shine, wins a break at the beginning of the match and holds the advantage until the end, winning the first set for 6-4. Pushing the advantage, the Italian number 1 immediately breaks the opening serve to the Belarusian and repeats himself in the 5th game. Ivashka, however, puts in more winners than in the first set and when Berrettini serves to go 2-0 he recovers one of the two disadvantaged breaks. Matteo does not lose his clarity and in the ninth game he resumes his serve and takes home the second set 6-3. Berrettini is in a hurry to close in fact it is immediately a break that cuts off Ivashka’s legs in the third set. Berrettini goes up to 3-0. Ivashka no longer reacts and collapses. After 23 years, Italy is in the quarters on the grass.