Tennis Queen’s: Berrettini meets Paul after retiring in Acapulc

After winning a comeback against Denis Kudla, Matteo Berrettini will find Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals of the Queen’s. An opportunity to cancel the only challenge between the two, a bad memory for the Roman tennis player: this year, in the first round on the hard courts of Acapulco, the pupil of Vincenzo Santopadre retired in the second set after winning the first 6-4 for the abdominal problem, the nightmare of Turin. It was the beginning of a complicated period for Matteo, who returned to Indian Wells where he was defeated by Kecmanovic before the long stop for the operation on his right hand. The challenge against Paul can close a circle, in case of victory there would be the semifinal against one between Van de Zanschulp and Davidovich Fokina.

THE SITUATION

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The draw has opened and now Berrettini sees the possibility of returning to the final after last year’s success. “Merit” of the defeats of Shapovalov, Opelka, Norrie, Tiafoe and Wawrinka, not to mention Murray’s forfeit before the start of the tournament: good Matteo at not stumbling along the way up to the quarter-finals and beating Evans and Kudla, winning two very different games. Both complicated: against the British it came a success in two sets (6-3 6-3) in a hard-fought match, while against the American a comeback was necessary after the first set lost. The tie break victory in the second set was decisive.

STATE OF FORM

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And Tommy Paul? The American found two good victories: in the first round against Shapovalov – seeded number 6, 6-4 2-6 6-4 – and in the second against Wawrinka, who had the better of Tiafoe. Two prestigious successes for a player who has won 18 out of 32 games this season and who seeks the second semi-final in 2022 after the one in February Delray Beach, with the defeat against seeded number 1 Cameron Norrie. Paul was number 35 in the world at Queen’s and gained a position: in case of victory against Berrettini, he would jump to 31st place in the ranking. But Matteo’s experience on the grass can make the difference: the two arrived in this edition of Queen’s were Paul’s first victories on the grass at ATP level, after as many defeats.