Matteo Berrettini wasted no time Friday in ousting 15th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of Wimbledon. The 2021 finalist was dominant on serve, winning 88 per cent of points behind his first delivery and fending off all three of the Australian’s break points. Berrettini stayed strong from the baseline, firing 38 winners to De Minaur’s 16 to advance.
“Really, really happy with the performance. I think I played really well from the very first point until the end,” Berrettini said in his post-match press conference. “Something that I actually didn’t expect that much.”
Berrettini, who has battled various injuries this year, arrived at SW19 without a match win since the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The World No. 38 has quickly found a high level at Wimbledon, defeating countryman Lorenzo Sonego and the Aussie De Minaur.
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The 24-year-old De Minaur arrived at the season’s third major off the back of a run to the final at The Queen’s Club last month, but was unable to deal with Berrettini’s power throughout their two-hour, 11-minute clash.
The Italian will next clash against 19th seed Alexander Zverev in the third round after the German defeated Japanese lucky loser Yosuke Watanuki 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Zverev struck the ball cleanly and stayed consistent throughout the two-hour, 25-minute battle, finishing with 15 unforced errors to Watanuki’s 34.
Zverev will look to extend his 4-1 record against Berrettini in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series when they compete for the first time since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. Their third-round match will mark Berrettini and Zverev’s first encounter on grass. Despite just one loss to the World No. 38, Zverev will be focussed on the task at hand.
“He’s one of the best grass-court players in the last few years,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “He made the Wimbledon final in 2021, won at The Queen’s Club two times. Definitely his best surface. I think it’s definitely one to look out for.”
Alexander Zverev greets fans following Friday’s win at Wimbledon. Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images