Berrettini Marks Return To Tour With Stuttgart Title
Matteo Berrettini capped his return to Tour by winning his first title of the season Sunday, overcoming former World No. 1 Andy Murray 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the BOSS OPEN final.
The Italian missed the clay season after undergoing a minor operation on his right hand in late March, but has played like he has never been away in Stuttgart, improving to 28-6 on grass.
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In a tight final, the the second seed demonstrated good footwork to dictate play on his forehand, hitting with brutal power to pin Murray back and triumph after two hours and 35 minutes. With his victory, Berrettini has improved to 2-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against the former World No. 1.
The 26-year-old now holds a perfect 9-0 record at the ATP 250 event, having won the title in his only previous appearance in Stuttgart in 2019. Berrettini also clinched the crown on grass at The Queen’s Club last year, defeating Cameron Norrie in the final in London.
The World No. 10 will aim to retain his title at the Cinch Championships next week and could play record five-time champion Murray in the second round.
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Playing in front of a packed crowd in Germany, Berrettini made a fast start, breaking in the third game to lead. The Italian hit with good precision throughout the first set to dictate the tempo, moving ahead after 50 minutes.
However, Murray showed his fighting spirit by responding in the second set. After fending off three break points on serve at 4-4, he capitalised on his chance in the 12th game, seizing the set on his first set point. Berrettini would not be denied, though. He broke in the first game on the third set as Murray started to tire, with the Scot receiving a medical timeout in the decider. Berrettini kept his concentration on serve, holding his nerve to capture his sixth tour-level title.
Murray was playing in his first tour-level singles final on grass since he lifted the trophy at Wimbledon in 2016. The Scot, who upset World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to his 10th tour-level championship match on grass, is up to No. 47 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.