TENNIS – It’s only the third time in Wimbledon history that two Italian men have made it to the last 16. Berrettini and Sonego join Giovanni Cucelli and Rolando del Bello (1949) and Nicola Pietrangeli and Giuseppe Merlo (1955).
Recording his 100th tour-level match win on Saturday, Matteo Berrettini reached the fourth round at The Wimbledon Championships for the second time. He advanced this far in the previous tournament in 2019.
Seeded 7, Berrettini’s winning streak on grass extends to eight matches as he despatched Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes.
Berrettini is strong contender for Nitto ATP Finals
Berrettini’s form this year puts him strong contention for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals. The end of season finals will be held from 13-21 November in Turin.
Prior to arriving at Wimbledon, the Italian won his fifth ATP Tour title at the cinch Championships (previously Queen’s Club) when he defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie. He also took the Serbia Open crown in Belgrade in April and was runner-up at the Mutua Madrid Open in May.
Berrettini will face Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka in the next round, looking to progress even further into the second week of Wimbledon.
Sonego matches Berrettini
Elsewhere, Berrettini’s compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, no.23rd seed and last week’s Viking International Eastbourne finalist, beat James Duckworth 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Sonego now faces no.6 seed, Roger Federer, who knocked Berrettini out of the fourth round in 2019. Federer’s form has improved as the tournament progresses. Had his opponent not fallen, he could have lost in the first round.
On paper, this is a close match. Sonego’s percentage of points with backhand errors is 4% versus 8% for Federer. Also, the Italian’s percentage of points with errors is 11%, compared to Federer’s 15%.
Will the Italian duo make more history and both advance to the quarter-finals?
