‘I have great memories here’ – Matteo Berrettini extends win streak on return

Matteo Berrettini has now won 10 matches in a row across three events after defeating former champion Richard Gasquet to reach the quarter-finals of the Swiss Open in Gstaad. 

The second seed downed the French veteran 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and a half to set a meeting with fifth seed Pedro Martinez next.

It was a first match for Berrettini since the final of Queen’s a month ago after the Italian tested positive for Covid on the eve of Wimbledon, forcing to withdraw from the event.

“I guess I like to play in Switzerland,” Berrettini said in his post-match interview after being made aware of his unbeaten record in Gstaad. “Definitely I have great memories here, first ATP tour title. I really like these conditions, even though we were coming from grass, and this is the complete opposite.

“But I like when the ball is jumping like this, I think it suits my game and my serve.”

Berrettini has played Gstaad just once before, clinching the title in 2019, meaning his win-loss record at the Swiss event is now 6-0.

Frighteningly for his future opponents, this match with Gasquet was just a third on clay for Berrettini in 2022, the last coming in Rio de Janeiro back in February.

“I knew I had to be patient,” he said of returning to the clay. “My feelings weren’t the best and also [Gasquet] had already played here.

“The best thing I think was my attitude. I was calm and I was ready when the points were important.”

Having dropped to 15th in the world after Wimbledon, Berrettini will be 14th in the world after the next rankings update on Monday, though he will have to wait for more prestigious events like the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters to make up ground on his rankings rivals.

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