Berrettini even became only the 4th player in modern tennis history to reach the final of 4 grass tournaments in a row along with Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. “The last thing I expected was to win two titles in a row and keep my crown here after returning from surgery,” explained the winner, very moved.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start (to the grass season) but this tournament is not just preparation for Wimbledon, it’s Queen’s, it’s one of the most prestigious tournaments” .
Dream comeback on grass
Against an opponent who had not won a single match on grass in his entire career before this tournament, at 30, Berrettini showed himself to be dominant by being very solid on his commitment, despite a rather low rate of successful first serves. (58%).
But with 14 aces and 64% of points won on his second serve, he conceded only 2 break points, including one materialized by the Serb. It was in the 6th game of the first set, just after Berrettini (26) robbed him of his serve, which put the two players tied at 3-3.
Without tensing up, the Italian took advantage of another small drop in speed from his opponent at 5-5 to score a second break in this round which he won in stride in nearly 55 minutes. The second set started like the first, with a break in the 5th game, but confirmed this time by Berrettini to lead 4-2 and not be scared until the end of the match.
Krajinovic, who was playing his fifth final on the circuit, is still looking for a first title. His place as a finalist will nevertheless allow him to jump in the ATP ranking on Monday, where he will drop from 48th to 31st place.
Hurkacz outclasses Medvedev
Hubert Hurkacz easily took the measure of world number one Daniil Medvedev.
CARMEN JASPERS/AFP
Hubert Hurkacz (12th in the world) outclassed N.1 Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the ATP 500 tournament on grass in Halle on Sunday in a match marked by a new interruption attempt by an activist from the climate. The 25-year-old Pole, who is still 100% successful in the finals he has played on the circuit – 5 successes out of 5 -, succeeds Frenchman Ugo Humbert, whom he eliminated in the second round. This year.
It only took a little over an hour (1:03) for Hurkacz to beat his prestigious opponent, already defeated in the final last Sunday on the Dutch grass of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Helpless against the power of his serves, Medvedev never entered the game, which was marred by two incidents.
The one who will join the Top 10 (10th) on Monday in the next ATP ranking started by placing three aces in his first service game, just to set the tone. Then he took Medvedev’s service twice in a row, to lead 4-0 after less than twenty minutes, and complete the first set 6-1 in 26 minutes. In the second set, after a breathtaking point, Hurkacz took the serve from the Russian.
Medvedev, who had already had tense exchanges the day before in the semi-finals with his coach Gilles Cervara, attacked him again, resulting in the sudden departure from the court of the Frenchman, without a gesture or a word in the direction of his protected . The rest of the match was just as painful for the 26-year-old Russian, suffocated by the opposing service and regularly overwhelmed or put in difficulty when he tried to venture to the net.
A climate activist tries to enter the court
The other incident, extraneous to the game, came when, as in the Roland Garros semi-final between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic, a climate activist tried unsuccessfully to interrupt the match by trying to attach herself in the net.
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