Matteo Berrettini started his campaign with a 6-4 6-2 win over Roberto Carballes Baena in 91 minutes at the Tennis Napoli Cup. Berrettini converted three of his five break points.
Berrettini avenged his defeat against Carballes Baena, who beat the Italian player on at their previous head-to-head match in Florence last week.
Berrettini hit 36 winners to Carballes Baena’s 7. Carballes Baena earned the first break point in the second game, but Berrettini saved it with a big serve. Berrettini earned a break in the seventh game to win the first set 6-4 when Carballes Baena made two forehand errors.
Berrettini broke serve in the first and fifth games and sealed the second set 6-2 with an inside-out forehand.
“The conditions were different to Florence for sure. This is outdoor, way outdoor, and I wanted to get revenge. I felt like I had a lot of chances last week and it was tough to digest, especially because I played in Florence, so it was really tough. Today I stepped on the court with even more will to win this match, and I think I played better. Neaples is one of the warmest cities in the world. I love to play here”,said Berrettini.
Lorenzo Musetti cruised past Laslo Djere 7-5 6-4 to reach his seventh ATP Tour quarter final this year. Musetti set up a quarter final match against world number 72 Daniel Elahi Galan, who beat Portugal’s Nuno Gomez 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
Musetti saved two break points at 5-5 before breaking serve in the 12th game to seal the first set 7-5. The Italian Next Gen player earned a break in the second game and sealed the win on his first match point.
Zhang Zhizhen battled past Sebastian Baez 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (13-11) to become the first Chinese player to break into the Top 100.
Mackenzie McDonald upset Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-4 to reach his second consecutive quarter final after reaching the same stage in Florence last week.
Fabio Fognini edged Hugo Grenier 6-4 3-6 6-2 in 2 hours and 42 minutes.
