Matteo Berrettini retained his title at the cinch Championship held at Queen’s Club in London. The Italian has now won three of his last four grass court tournaments.
Matteo Berrettini successfully retained his Cinch Championships title on Sunday. He beat Filip Krajinovic 7-5, 6-4 to capture his seventh tour-level trophy and fourth on grass.
In front of a packed crowd, the Italian become the first player in the Open Era to win the title in both of his first two appearances in London.
“There are so many emotions,” Berrettini said during the trophy ceremony. “The last thing I expected was to come back from surgery and win two titles in a row, defend my title here at one of the most prestigious tournaments we have. I don’t want to cry. Most of the job is thanks to them, my team and my family. I just can’t believe it.”
Won all matches since return to tour
The second seed has now won his past nine matches and lifted two trophies since he returned to Tour last week. Berrettini had been out following three months out due to a hand injury.
The 26-year-old produced a strong performance to down Andy Murray in the BOSS OPEN final in Stuttgart last week. He was equally as impressive against the Serbian Krajinovic to triumph at the ATP 500 event in one hour and 34 minutes.
“I arrived in Stuttgart and was not feeling great,” Berrettini said. “I was not hitting the ball how I wanted and I was like ‘Guys, I think it is going to be tough’. But it has gone pretty well!”
Cinch Championship final
The first set was a mix of stunning winners and unforced errors as both players looked to find their rhythm. Berrettini broke the Serb’s serve first when he planted a perfectly executed volley away to move ahead. However, Krajinovic responded immediately as he broke back to level for 3-3. The Italian was not be denied, stepping up the intensity and power in his groundstrokes at the end of the set to clinch the opener after 54 minutes.
The second seed Berrettini continued on the attack in the second set. He won 86% (12/14) of his first-serve points as he pushed Krajinovic deep behind the baseline. Still, he did not gain the decisive break until the fifth game. He then held his nerve on serve to secure the title.
