Berrettini Sinks Sonego In Stuttgart

Matteo Berrettini’s return to Tour continued to gather pace Friday, when the Italian edged countryman Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his second semi-final of the season at the BOSS Open In Stuttgart.

The World No. 10 is competing for the first time since he underwent a minor operation on his right hand in March. Despite being sidelined for three months, the 26-year-old has quickly found his range at an event he triumphed at in his only previous appearance in 2019.

“It was a really tough match,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “Lorenzo was playing really well. I wasn’t feeling that comfortable but it is normal. I haven’t played for three months and it isn’t easy to come back. The crowd helped me and my team is always here. I am happy with the win.”

Berrettini, who moved past Radu Albot in his opening match, took the ball early against Sonego to dictate with his powerful forehand, forcing the 27-year-old deep behind the baseline to advance after two hours and 19 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“It is really nice, we are playing in the best tournaments in the world against each other,” Berrettini said when discussing how he felt playing against friend Sonego. “We started playing against each other aged 10, so it is really nice to see where we are. He is a really nice guy, we hit a lot together.”

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The Italian reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January and now holds an 11-6 record on the season. He will next face Oscar Otte at the ATP 250 grass-court tournament after the German received a walkover from Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

Berrettini enjoyed success on the grass last year, soaring to the title at the Cinch Championships, before he reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.