Matteo Berrettini took another significant stride in his journey back to the top of the ATP rankings, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 in the Gstaad semi-final. The 28-year-old Italian, who triumphed in Gstaad back in 2018, has battled injuries since reaching a career-high world ranking of number six in May 2022. Despite losing his previous five encounters with the 12th-ranked Greek, Berrettini seized crucial moments in Switzerland to reach his third final of the year, following victories in Marrakech in April and Stuttgart in June. Berrettini’s serve proved to be a formidable weapon: he didn’t face a single break point and won an impressive 92 percent of points behind his first delivery.
“I kept serving well and believing that something could happen in a return game, and it happened in the end,” stated Berrettini, currently ranked at 82, during his on-court interview. “Stefanos is a great player, he knows how to mix things up and the tie-break was really tight, but again like yesterday I think I played a little bit better in important moments.”
His opponent in the final will be French qualifier Quentin Halys, ranked 192, who achieved a remarkable victory over German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), securing his maiden ATP final appearance. The two players have crossed paths only once before, in an ITF World Tennis Tour event in Italy back in 2015, with Halys emerging victorious.
“It was a long time ago. I remember it was in Piombino in Tuscany, definitely on a different surface, a hard court,” recalled Berrettini. “I remember I couldn’t return his serve, so hopefully tomorrow I’m going to be able to do it. It’s going to be a tough one, but I’m going to be ready.”
Berrettini’s resurgence in form and fitness began with his triumph in Marrakech, followed by his progression to the final in Stuttgart, where he was defeated in three sets by Britain’s Jack Draper. He missed the French Open but impressed in the second round at Wimbledon, where he narrowly lost to compatriot Jannik Sinner in a tight four-setter.
Berrettini’s journey back to the elite level of tennis continues with his appearance in the Gstaad final, where he’ll be aiming for another victory against a determined and deserving opponent in Halys.
