Matteo Berrettini came back from one set down to beat Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-5 after two hours and 20 minutes en route to the third round at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Berrettini had not played since the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic due to a thigh injury. He claimed two titles in Belgrade and Queen’s
Berrettini has won 15 of his past 17 matches. The Italian player will take on either Felix Auger Aliassime or this year’s Olympic silver medallist Karen Khachanov in the third round.
The first set went on serve with no break points en route to the tie-break. Ramos Vinolas went up a 4-1 lead with two mini-breaks in the tie-break. Berrettini pulled one break back to draw level to 4-4. Ramos Vinolas won the final two points with his third mini-break to claim the tie-break 7-5.
Ramos Vinolas earned two break points in the fifth game of the second set. Berrettini saved them before breaking serve in the sixth game to race out to a 5-2 lead. Berrettini saved three break points to serve out the second set 6-3.
Berrettini earned two break points in the third game. Ramos Vinolas saved the first break point with an ace. Berrettini did not convert his second chance after a forehand error. Berrettini got the crucial break in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead, as Ramos Vinolas missed an inside-in forehand. Berrettini closed out the match in the 12th game with a forehand drop-shot.
“I think I served really well. My strokes from the baseline were not working the way I wanted them to, but I knew from the beginning it’s been a long time since a I played a match, especially on hard, so I expected to feel a little bit weird. I fought every point. I tried to put myself in conditions where I could win the match. That’s what I am most happy about”, said Berrettini.
Lorenzo Sonego beat Spanish Next Gen star Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 7-6 (7-5) setting up a second round match against Tommy Paul. Alcaraz earned an early break to take a 2-1 lead, but Sonego won four consecutive games with two breaks to open up a 5-2 lead and served out the first set 6-3 in the ninth game.
Sonego saved two break points in the fourth game before breaking serve to take a 3-2 lead. Alcaraz broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Alcaraz did not convert a set point at 6-5 in the tie-break. Sonego won three consecutive points to take the tie-break 8-6.
Grigor Dimitrov cruised past Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 6-4 in a rain-distrupted match to stop a three-match losing streak. Dimitrov broke serve three times and won 76% of his first service points. The Bulgarian player, who won his first Masters 1000 title in 2017, leads 4-2 in his head-to-head lead against Bautista Agut. He will face Alexander Bublik, who came back from one set down to beat Marcos Giron 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5).
Hubert Hurkacz hit 15 aces in his 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 win against Alejandro Davidovic Fokina. Hurkacz became the first Masters 1000 champion when he beat Jannik Sinner in the Miami final. Hurkacz raced out to a 4-0 lead and won 50 % of points on Davidovich Fokina’s first set. Hurkacz went up a break in the third game of the second set, but Davidovich Fokina broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. The Spanish player earned two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3. Hurkacz broke twice in the third and sixth games to claim the third set 6-1.
