Matteo Berrettini recovered from a slow start as he increased his power off the ground and hit with greater precision throughout to advance past Tommy Paul 6-4 6-2.
Speaking after the match, Berrettini admitted facing some difficulty but the comeback made him proud of the way he fought:
“I am really happy. Today was very tough to play. It was very windy and hot, so I made some mistakes but I was there. I fought through and I feel my game was getting higher and higher the more I was playing, so I am really happy with it.”
The second seed has now won his past seven matches since returning to Tour in Stuttgart last week following three months out due to injury. The 26-year-old downed former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the final at the German ATP 250 event last week to clinch his third tour-level title on grass, before earning wins over Daniel Evans and Denis Kudla in London.
Up next is Botic van de Zandschulp who present a tricky challenge himself.