Tennis, Wimbledon: Berrettini writes history, an Italian flies to the semifinals after 61 years | News

Matteo Berrettini writes the history of Italian tennis and flies in semifinal to Wimbledon. The Roman beat the Canadian in four sets Felix Auger-Aliassime with the score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 and brings Italy back to the penultimate act of the English Slam after 61 years: the last to succeed had been Nicola Pietrangeli in 1960. Now, between the number 9 in the world and the final there is only the Polish Hubert Hurkacz.

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Italy is still great in London. Not even 24 hours after the final of the Europeans won by Mancini’s national team at Wembley, the company of Matteo Berrettini arrives, bringing the flag back to the semifinals at Wimbledon for the first time since 1960, when Nicola Pietrangeli presented himself to the penultimate act of the Slam English. The Roman plays a great quarter-final beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3: a complicated match won thanks to solidity of the 1996 class, who is not discouraged in front of an excellent central part of the Canadian’s race and places the decisive sharp between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth set.

The start of the race is immediately favorable to Berrettini, who after the initial game won by Auger-Aliassime rises from 0-1 to 4-1. The 20 year old manages to recover only one of the two disadvantaged breaks, moreover, canceling four set points on the Italian’s turn at bat, but he redeems himself and places the counterbreak which is worth 6-3 in the first set. In the second, however, the number 19 of the ATP ranking finds solidity in his service and takes advantage of the mistakes of the Queen’s winner, who loses the turn at bat and collects the 1-3. The 25-year-old, however, does not break down and recovers the break ahead, returning to 3-3. The tear that decides the set arrives at the eleventh game: Auger-Aliassime, in fact, takes advantage of the third ball of 6-5 and equalizes the partial score by closing at 7-5.

In the third set, the Canadian it seems impervious to service, with many closed batting rounds leaving only the crumbs to Berrettini, who instead grants two break points in the third game, not exploited by the 20-year-old. Just when the tie-break seems inevitable, however, the number 9 in the world finds the break that gives him the 7-5 and the new advantage. The lost partial discourages Auger-Aliassime, who begins to make many mistakes, including double fouls and forehand shots that end up in the net: the consequence is all in the five consecutive games won by Berrettini, that is to say from 5-5 in the third set to 3-0 in the fourth. The opening break proves decisive: Berrettini is no longer wrong and, at the first match point, closes at 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3: for Italy it is the second semifinal at Wimbledon since 1960 and the nineteenth in the Slams, as well as Berrettini’s second solo show after that of 2019 at the US Open. Now, the last obstacle towards the first Italian final on English grass is called Hubert Hurkacz, capable of eliminating the King of Championships Roger Federer in three sets. Matteo Berrettini will challenge the Pole to write another incredible page of our tennis.

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