Matteo Berrettini cruised past Sebastian Baez 6-2 6-3 in 71 minutes in their first to earn Italy a 1-0 lead over Argentina in the Group A at the Unipol Arena in Bologna.
Berrettini was in control of the match and did not face a single break point.
Berrettini earned a break in the second game with a crosscourt forehand and held his service game to take a 3-0 lead. The 2019 Wimbledon finalist converted the first of his second set points in the eighth game to close out the first set 6-2, as Baez made a double fault.
Berrettini earned two break points with a drop shot and went up a break to take a 4-2 lead when Baez made a double fault. Berrettini rallied from 15-30 down to hold serve for 5-2 before converting his first match point with an ace. “I had an unlucky season with a lot of ups and downs. I had a lot of physical problems, but I enjoyed a lot of good results. I reached the semifinal at the Australian Open, the quarter final at the US Open and I won two grass titles in Stuttgart and Queen’s”, said Berrettini.

