ATP Cup: Berrettini beats Bautista Agut, Italy beats Spain and is in the final!

Matteo Berrettini in the photo

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The award-winning company Fognini-Berrettini strikes again. After the success of the Ligurian at the opening of the program his Carreno Busta, came the victory of the Roman tennis player on Bautista Agut with a score of 6-3 7-5 in an hour and 25 minutes of play: the Italian national team, led by Vincenzo Santopadre, closes the accounts against the Spain (2-0, the double that will start in a few minutes will be irrelevant) and thus reaches the Russia of Rublev e Medvedev last act ofATP Cup 2021.

For Berrettini, who had already scored in the group stage against Thiem and Monfils, the positive moment continues: the signs are excellent in view of the imminent start of the Australian Open, with the current number 10 in the world ranking not giving up any sets in the three matches played.

PERFECT FIRST SET – It is the services that reign supreme in the early stages of the match, with the first three games ending “zero” in favor of the batting player. Berrettini, decidedly more incisive than his opponent even with the shots from the baseline, takes off in the fourth game, operating the break at thirty by winning four consecutive points: the Roman tennis player had no problem, in the following minutes, to manage the advantage . The fraction, completed in less than thirty minutes, saw Berrettini win 93% of the points with the first (13/14) and 70% with the second (7/10): Bautista Agut, for his part, doesn’t have much to complain since the blue gave him practically nothing (the native of Castellon de la Plana, in five rounds in response, reached “thirty” in one circumstance, in the ninth and last game of the set).

SECOND SEALING SET – Long interruption between the first and second partial following the intervention of the physiotherapist requested by Bautista Agut for a groin injury: the stop visibly annoys the Italian team, complete with some timid protest by Santopadre against the chair judge for the timing with which the MTO was called, but does not in any way break Matteo Berrettini. The ’96 class continues to hammer in their shifts, following up on the good things shown in the previous stage, and does not particularly suffer from the fact that the exchanges have lengthened: there is more struggle, but the number 10 ATP does not he lets himself be caught unprepared and responds with all the means at his disposal. After wasting two break points in the fifth game, the Roman remains hooked to his challenger until the key moment: at 15-40 in the eleventh game he wastes two more chances, and then places an extraordinary straight passer to the advantages that gives him the opportunity to serve for the match. Forward 6-3 6-5, the Italian easily holds the bar thus bringing Italy to the final at the 2021 ATP Cup.

ITALY – SPAIN 2-0
Fabio Fognini (ITA) b. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 6-2 1-6 6-4
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) b. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 6-3 7-5

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