Gstaad Open LIVE: Matteo Berrettini survived a major scare on Friday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, rallying past fifth seed Pedro Martinez 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 to reach the semi-finals and extend his winning streak to 11 matches. The Italian was on the brink of defeat in the second-set tie-break, trailing 1/5. However, the second seed found his best level just in time, reeling off six consecutive points to clinch the set, before he raced away in the third set to advance after two hours and 16 minutes. Follow Gstaad Open LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
Gstaad Open LIVE: Matteo Berrettini clinches come-from behind victory against Pedro Martinez in quarterfinals, to face Dominic Thiem in semis
Moving 🔛@MattBerrettini defeats Pedro Martinez 3-6 7-6 6-1 to set up a semi-final showdown against Dominic Thiem in Gstaad.@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/ggC5OdwgnT
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 22, 2022
“Sometimes it is just tennis. It is a crazy sport. At 1/5 I thought I was done. Then I played two good points and it was 3/5 and I thought ‘let’s try’,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “I don’t think I played my best match here. But sometimes it is important to win when you are not playing well. I managed to find some energy inside me and I am really happy to be through.”
The 26-year-old will next play Austrian Dominic Thiem after the former World No. 3 continued to gather momentum with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas. Berrettini leads Thiem 3-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.
“Dominic has had an unbelievable career,” Berrettini said. “He is a Slam champion and he got injured, but he is coming back. I saw some of him today and his level is coming back, so it is going to be a tough match. We always play great matches, so tomorrow will be a good one.”
Berrettini overcame Richard Gasquet in his opening match at the ATP 250 clay-court event to earn victory on his return to Tour, after missing Wimbledon due to Covid. He lifted trophies on grass in Stuttgart and London in June after missing the spring clay swing in Europe due to a right hand injury.
The 26-year-old, currently No. 14 in the ATP Live Rankings, is making his second appearance in Gstaad, having not dropped a set en route to the title in 2018.
Gstaad Open LIVE: Matteo Berrettini clinches come-from behind victory against Pedro Martinez in quarterfinals, to face Dominic Thiem in semis
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