Last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals and Stockolm Open champion Stefanos Tsitsipas came back from losing the first set to edge 2018 Gstaad champion Matteo Berrettini from Italy 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-4) in a close match after 2 hours and 57 minutes.
World number 54 Matteo Berrettini converted both his break points he earned, but he dropped his serve four times. In the first set the 22-year-od Italian player saved one break point, as both players went on serve with no breaks until the tie-break. Berrettini earned a mini-break to take a 3-0 lead and closed out the tie-break 7-3 on the third of his five set points.
Number 14 seed Tsitsipas bounced back by breaking serve in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead en route to winning the second set 6-4.
The Greek Next Star broke serve twice in the fifth and ninth games to win the third set 6-3. Berrettini did not convert two break points in the fourth set in a fourth set, which went to the second tie-break of the match with no breaks of serve. Tsitsipas earned the first mini-break on the sixth point with a forehand error from Berrettini to take a 4-2 lead. Berrettini broke back to draw level to 4-4, but Tsitsipas won the final three points to close out the tie-break 7-4 setting up a second round match against Serbia’s Viktor Troicki, who rallied from two sets to one down to edge Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 1-6 2-6 6-1 6-4.
“We both served very well. I thought the match was going to be decided by a few points on our serves, maybe tie-breaks, which happened. We played two tie-break sets and the points were very close. I am happy I stayed calm and aggressive, amking him feel the pressure”,said Tsitsipas in the post-match interview.
