LONDON: Matteo Berrettini advanced to the fourth round of the ongoing Wimbledon championships being held in London after securing a win over Alexander Zverev on Saturday.
As per ATP, the Italian defeated Zverev by 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in a thrilling battle that lasted almost two and the half hours.
Coming to Wimbledon, Matteo had played just one match in three months due to a stomach injury. But the player found his form in the hallowed lawns of The All-England Club.
“It must be something special about this place. I love to play here,” Berrettini said.
“Last year I missed it unfortunately and I still did not heal from that withdrawal. This tournament changed my career, my life, it is so special to be here,” he added.
Matteo’s devastating run in London, which includes wins over Lorenzo Sonego and Alex de Minaur in previous rounds, surely would have caught the attention of his next challenger, Carlos Alcaraz.
“I spent many days in my bed crying about not being able to play, so playing five days in a row is nothing,” Berrettini said.
“I missed playing, I missed competing. I am finding extra energy every day,” he added.
During his last outing in London, he was a finalist. But he had to give the 2022 edition of the tournament a miss due to COVID-19. This year, he was coming into the tournament with a 7-7 win-loss record in an injury-interrupted season.
Despite all his issues, Matteo has stepped up big time in Wimbledon. He has reached the week two in eight of nine previous Grand Slam events he has played, which also includes three quarterfinals, the Australia Open 2022 semifinal and the 2021 Wimbledon final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
He is looking ahead to his clash with Alcaraz.
“The first time I played him two years ago I felt that this kid was special. He has won so much already. We have always had great matches so I am really looking forward to that one,” he added.
Also, the sixth-seeded Holger Rune advanced to round four after edging past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a Saturday thriller at Wimbledon. He won his match by 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-8) victory and advance to the fourth round for the third straight time at a major.
At 8/8 in the decisive tie-break, Davidovich Fokina tried to spring a surprise underarm serve, which he followed to the net. But he was thwarted by the fast feet and faster thinking of Rune, who ripped a forehand passing shot to bring up his first match point. Moments later, the Spaniard netted a forehand to bring a close to the three-hour, 58-minute epic on No. 3 Court.
Rune, who exited the last Wimbledon on his debut in the first round in 2022, with either face 10th seed Frances Tiafoe or 21st seed Grigor Dimitrov for a spot in the quarterfinal.
Jiri Lehecka, also made it to the fourth round with a 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-2 victory against 16th seed Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz worked his way to reach the fourth round after an attacking bombardment from Chilean Nicolas Jarry to advance at the ongoing Wimbledon.
Competing under the roof on Centre Court, it took a lot of hard work for Spaniard to register a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 win over spirited Jarry in a match that lasted for three hours and 56 minutes.
The Spaniard, who recovered after falling behind by a break in the fourth set, moved swiftly across the court to display his defensive prowess before relentlessly turning the tables in points.
The World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev overcame a spirited early battle from Hungarian powerhouse Marton Fucsovics to move to the fourth round of the competition.
The third seed, who has won five titles and leads the tour with 44 match wins, advanced to the second week of a major for the first time this year with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory in three hours and four minutes.
Under a closed roof on No. 1 Court, both players delighted enthusiastic fans with a range of power hitting, inventive shot-making, drop shots, athletic court coverage and regular forays to the net in one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament to date.
The World No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed a fourth-round spot after a straight-sets victory against Laslo Djere on Saturday.
Playing on Court 2, the fifth-seeded Greek prevailed 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-4 at Wimbledon to reach the round of 16 for the second time at the grasscourt major. Tsitsipas completed his two-hour, 10-minute victory.
Tsitsipas maintained his composure towards the finish of the tense first and second sets until an assured third-set performance secured a fourth-round matchup in London against Christopher Eubanks. (ANI)