On a comeback road from injury, Italian player Matteo Berrettini has found his way into his first outdoor hardcourt quarterfinal since 2023 by rallying past world No. 51 Tallon Griekspoor in an edgy three-setter in Doha on Wednesday.
Following his maiden victory over 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, world No. 35 Matteo Berrettini secured a hard-fought 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 6-4 win over Dutch Tallon Griekspoor in two hours and 27 minutes to reach his first outdoor hardcourt quarterfinal since 2023.
After the match, he commented: “I went on court really focused, I wasn’t feeling the ball as well as yesterday, I fought really hard [across] three sets. [I made] a couple of mistakes in the second-set tiebreak, but I kept fighting. I’m proud of my mental toughness.”
By taking down the 28-year-old, the Italian avenged his first-round loss to the Dutch player in Rotterdam earlier in February.
Moreover, the 10-time ATP titlist punched his ticket into the last eight in Doha, where he will meet British No. 1 racquet, Jack Draper.
The former world number six is on a comeback road, sidelined from official competition for six months due to injury last year.
This week, the Roman native is on a high-level journey at the Qatar Open; in top form, he hammered his trademark forehand and made good use of his booming serve, hitting 23 aces against Griekspoor, outlasting each of his opponents.
A tight opening set went on serve, unfolding into a tiebreak that Berrettini took 7-6(4) in 51 minutes.
Both players kicked a level and went toe-to-toe throughout an edgy second set.
Small margins separated the competitors who held their ground behind their serve, which led to a second tiebreaker that the former world No. 21 did not let slip, forcing a decider.
Griekspoor held at love to set off the third set, while Berrettini was sharp on serve when he needed most, firing aces en route to convert a pivotal break in the ninth game.
Then, he served out for the match 6-4, wrapping up the set in 34 minutes without facing a break point throughout the encounter.
Umberto Rianna’s pupil won 89 percent of the points on his first serve and 67 percent on his second delivery.
Next, he will face eighth seed Draper, who dismissed Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-2, 6-1 in 58 minutes earlier on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old is competing in his first tournament since he gave world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz a walkover after sustaining a hip injury while playing their fourth-round match at the Australian Open.
The world No. 16 leads Berrettini 1-0 in their series. Last year, he produced a notable comeback triumph over the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up to claim his first ATP title in Stuttgart.
On a further note, Alcaraz, making his maiden appearance at the ATP 500, overpowered Italian qualifier Luca Nardi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in one hour and 53 minutes to progress into the quarterfinals.
Elsewhere, Czech Jiri Lehecka cruised past world No. 57 Fabian Marozsan in straight sets to clash with the Spaniard for a place in the semifinals on Thursday.