Matteo Berrettini edges Aslan Karatsev to lift Serbia Open crown

In the battle of the 2nd and 3rd seeds, Matteo Berrettini prevailed over Aslan Karatsev 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 in two hours and 27 minutes to earn the fourth ATP title.

Dealing with injuries, Berrettini won only nine matches last year, working hard on his game and hoping for a better run in 2021, which already looks much better after four months.

Aslan stunned world no. 1 Novak Djokovic in three and a half hours yesterday, giving his best to prevail today again but losing the deciding tie break 7-0 to leave Belgrade with the runner-up prize. Matteo won 20 points more thanks to that opening set, and he still had to work hard to bring the victory home and earn the fourth ATP trophy.

The Italian claimed five straight games in the opener for commanding 6-1 in under half an hour. The Russian recovered his strokes in set number two, securing an early break in game two and defending two break chances at 4-2 before sealing the set in game nine to force a decider. They traded breaks in games four and five to remain close to each other before Karatsev saved a match point in game 12 to force a tie break. Staying composed, Matteo won the breaker 7-0 to celebrate the first ATP title since 2019.