Berrettini, on the 'push to achieve great things', wins thriller at Cagliari Challenger

Challenger

Berrettini, on the 'push to achieve great things', wins thriller at Cagliari Challenger

Hurkacz advances; Wawrinka falls in France

Kathryn Riley/ATP Challenger

Matteo Berrettini in action Tuesday at the Sardegna Open By ATP Staff

Matteo Berrettini has produced some of his best tennis on clay, winning six of his 10 ATP Tour titles on the surface and reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals in 2021.

After an early exit at the Mutua Madrid Open, the 30-year-old returned home to reset at the ATP Challenger 175 event in Cagliari, where he survived a stern opening-round test on Tuesday.

Berrettini treated the Italian crowd to a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) win against Patrick Kypson.

“I'm in Cagliari to try to find my best tennis and my best physical and mental condition, and to gather energy for the coming months,” Berrettini said ahead of the tournament. “We felt this was the ideal tournament to do that.”

Cagliari fans will again have plenty to cheer for in Berrettini’s second-round match; a showdown against top seed and 2024 champion Mariano Navone.

Berrettini is defending just 100 points the rest of the clay swing. He will drop 50 points on 4 May from a third-round showing in Madrid last year and another 50 points on May 18, having also reached the third round in Rome in 2025. The former World No. 6 missed Roland Garros last season due to a right oblique injury.

“The tour has shown us that achieving good results in tournaments like [here in Cagliari] can give us the push to achieve great things,” Berrettini added.

Competing on the ATP Challenger circuit for the first time since March 2024, Berrettini served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, yet was pushed to a decider. He secured the victory in front of a full crowd after two hours and 50 minutes.

"Without this crowd and in a different place, I would have lost,” Berrettini said post match. “They supported me from the first point to the last, helping me in a very difficult match.”

Berrettini is not the only former Top 10 star competing at the Sardegna Open. Hubert Hurkacz, seeded sixth, ousted American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 7-6(8) to begin his campaign. Hurkacz saved a set point on return at 6/7 in the second-set tie-break.

Aix-en-Provence

Former No. 3 and last year’s finalist Stan Wawrinka returned to the Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole, yet was ousted by eighth seed Sebastian Ofner, who won 6-3, 6-4.

#NextGenATP Spaniard Martin Landaluce rallied past home wild card Daniel Jade 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 and Wu Yibing beat Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-4.

Fan favourite Grigor Dimitrov headlines Wednesday's order of play at the ATP Challenger 175 tournament in France. The Bulgarian will meet Spanish qualifier Pol Martin Tiffon.

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