While Jannik Sinner won't be anchoring home hopes over the next week in Paris, there have been two Italian winners so far today already including at the Kitzbuhel Open with Matteo Berrettini sealing back-to-back titles.
Jasmine Paolini begun her campaign earlier at the Olympic Games with victory, while in Austria it was Berrettini's time for a second consecutive week. Winning in Gstaad last week, it was another title win for him as he heads full of confidence towards the US Hard Court swing.
He defeated Hugo Gaston 7-5, 6-3 and en route to claiming the title sealed 20 consecutive sets and has won 10 games in a row since getting to Switzerland last week. It is just the tonic that Berrettini needs after a horrific time of it in the past 12 months with injury.
He has also encountered rough draws too in Grand Slam tournaments as his ranking has plummeted compared to his brilliance of before. But rebuilding himself in smaller tournaments, it seems like he will be one to watch going into the back end of the 2024 season.
It is his third title of 2024 and his 10th career title with six of those coming on clay. Not bad for a player who has grass potentially as his best surface on paper. Only Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have three or more titles in 2024 with Berrettini only one behind.
While Sinner won't be bringing glory home in Paris for Italy, Berrettini continues to do so and further his own lofty ambitions to get back to his best.
“I feel really good. Obviously I feel tired in the way that I have had a lot of matches on my shoulders, but it’s a good feeling,” Berrettini said yesterday in reaching the final. “It’s not tired that I cannot play anymore, it’s tired that I’m pushing myself and this is what I was looking to before the tournament, hoping to have as many matches as possible.
Also he will surge back into the top 40 going up ten spots after sealing the title and with many around him on similar points and the Italian not defending a lot, a surge back into the higher echelons looms.
