Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], February 19 (ANI): Matteo Berrettini wrapped up a 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 win over home favourite Thiago Monteiro on Friday after failing to convert on two match points in the second set at the ongoing Rio Open.
Thursday’s rain pushed the second-round match back by a day, and Friday’s showers halted the contest just after the Italian rocketed a forehand winner to bring up break point at 3-4 in the third.
This was the top seed’s first ATP Tour action since his semi-final run at the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in four sets. He’ll now face a rematch against Carlos Alcaraz, one month after he beat the Spaniard in a fifth-set tie-break in the AO third round.
Following Berrettini, the seventh-seeded Alcaraz finished off a 6-4, 7-6(1) win over Federico Delbonis as the clock neared 2 am in Rio. The match began on Thursday, when the 18-year-old was two points from taking the opening set before rain stopped the match at 5-4, 30/15.
When play resumed in the early hours of Saturday morning, Alcaraz closed out the opening set but found himself down 3-1 and 4-2 in the second as Delbonis adapted to the wet conditions on Quadra Guga Kuerten. Though his powerful ground game was muted by the slow conditions, Alcaraz twice answered with an immediate break back in a stretch of four straight games against serve.
The World No. 29 dominated the tie-break with aggressive hitting. (ANI)
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