Berrettini closes in on further clay success

Matteo Berrettini continued his hot streak across alpine Europe as he reached his second consecutive final on Friday with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of German Yannick Hanfmann at Kitzbuehel.

ATP No. 50 Berrettini, coming off two injury years after once cracking the Top 10, extended his current win streak to nine matches including his title run last week in the Swiss resort village of Gstaad.

The 28-year-old Roman has needed to win tie breaks in six of his recent victories, though the question did not come up as he dispatched Hanfmann in 90 minutes with 11 aces and a pair of service breaks.

The Italian stands a solid 14-1 on clay this season; he is the first finalist from his nation at the Austrian venue since Paolo Lorenzi in 2016.

“I started well and played really good,” the winner said. “I had to adjust my serve a bit against his return.

“The turning point came when I started returning better; being more aggressive always pays off.

“I’m really excited for tomorrow, I’m feeling more energy from the crowd every day.”

Berrettini will be bidding for his 10th career trophy and third this season.

Main photo:- Matteo Berrettini winning in Kitbuehel – by Generali Open

Bill Scott

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