Berrettini beats tournament favourite, Cameron Norrie, in the final as Humbert beats Andrey Rublev in Halle.
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Italian tennis star Matteo Berrettini created history on Sunday as he became the first player in over three decades to win the Queen’s Club championship. He beat title favorite Cameron Norrie in three sets to lift the crown. Berrettini becomes the first player since a 17-year-old Boris Becker to win the cinch Championships on his debut. His dominance was on full display as he did not have to face a single break point against Norrie to win the match in just under a couple of hours. The final score at the end of the match was 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in favor of the Italian. The 25-year-old was understandably over the moon with his performance after the match.
“(It was an) unbelievable week,” said the Italian after the match. “If I think about (Boris’) name and my name, it’s crazy. I was dreaming about playing this tournament. I was watching (it) when I was a kid and now I had the chance to lift the trophy, so it’s a dream come true,” he added.
The 25-year-old had previously won four ATP Tour trophies, but none had come above the ATP 250-level. This is the first ATP 500 triumph for the Italian, and he will be setting his sights on more such titles.
The week has been one to remember for the champion as he beat a number of high quality opponents. The list includes former world number 1 Andy Murray, current British number 1 Daniel Evans, and fourth seed Alex de Minaur. Berrettini is the first Italian in the Open Era to win this title.
In Halle, French tennis star Ugo Humbert beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets to win the Noventi Open on Sunday. The scoreline at the end of the match read 6-3, 7-6(4) in Humbert’s favor. It is his first ATP 500 title. Currently, the world number 31 is 3-0 in the finals of ATP events. His earlier two victories came when he won the European Open in Antwerp and the ASB Classic in Auckland. Both were ATP 250 events.
“It is incredible. It is the best victory of my career,” the Frenchman said after his first ATP 500 win. “I am very proud because it wasn’t easy. I was a little bit tired, but I tried to stay focused on each point, and did what I could, so it is very nice. I tried to stay aggressive and take the ball early because in the baseline rallies it was tough, because Andrey was hitting the ball very hard. Physically, it was tough, and I tried to take my chances when I could, and I won,” he added.
The Frenchman put in quite an impressive shift as he managed to win 85% of his points on the first serve. He hit five aces in the first set, continued to serve well, as he dealt with a couple of break points to win the set.
Both Humbert and Rublev seemed to stay on top of the baseline in the second set as the match continued. With neither man facing a break point, the match moved to a tie-break. However, it was the Frenchman who held his nerve and closed the net at every opportunity to clinch the win.
