Matteo Berrettini has praised his forehand after beating Filip Krajinovic 4-6 6-3 6-1 to win the Budapest title.
Despite a tricky start, the Italian used his forehand to good affect as he won his second career title in Budapest with a three set win over Krajinovic.
The Serb had got through qualifying to reach the main draw and went all the way to the final but it was just one step too many as he fell at the final hurdle.
After his win, Berrettini praised his forehand and said that it’s a dangerous shot on the clay, “My forehand, especially on the clay, is a good weapon. Today was a great day for my forehand,” the Italian explained. “I was winning not too much and I think the key was my serve. I improved a lot my backhand. Those were the keys.”
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After the match, the 23 year-old also claimed that the conditions were very tricky in Budapest, “It was a really tough match. The conditions [were tough], it was cold and windy. The balls were moving a lot. So I was really focused on my game,” Berrettini said.
“After the first set I just told myself to fight game after game, point after point and I’m really happy because it was really difficult.”
It was a good win for Berrettini as he will look to follow Marco Cecchinato’s footsteps after he won the Budapest title last year.
After winning the title in Hungary, Cecchinato then reached his first grand slam semi-final at Roland Garros, beating Novak Djokovic on the way.
Does the same fate await Berrettini? Only time will tell but the Italian will gain confidence from this week’s run, where he will enter the top 40 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
