Matteo Berrettini said he had to play his best tennis to defeat Alex De Minaur in straight sets and reach the final at Queen’s Club.The top seed and world No. 9 beat the 22-year-old Australian 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament.
The 25-year-old broke the world No. 22 once in each set and did not lose his serve for the third straight match.
“It was the goal of the week [to reach the final], but now I have one more step. Of course, making the finals is a great step, especially for the history of this tournament,” Berrettini said in an on-court interview.
“I’m really happy also because to beat Alex today I had to play my best tennis. The mentality is that I always think that I can win the [service] game.
“The other guys, also Alex today had some great points, but I know I have a big weapon with my serve and my first shot.
“If I sleep too well [before the final], it means that something is off. I have to be nervous, I have to be tight a little bit – otherwise the adrenaline doesn’t kick in.”
Berrettini – who now has a 17-5 grass court record – will face either Denis Shapovalov or Cameron Norrie in Sunday’s final.
