Preview Stuttgart Open Final: Can Berrettini win third Stuttgart or will Draper clinch his first career title?

Matteo Berrettini will seek his third Stuttgart Open title when he faces Jack Draper on Sunday. The Italian has proven to be one of the toughest players on grass, and despite playing few matches this year, he has once again reached a final.

He will face a resilient opponent in Draper, who like Berrettini, has struggled with injuries over the past year. The British player seems ready to make a breakthrough on the Tour as he seeks his first career title after two lost finals.

Berrettini aims for third Stuttgart Open title

Matteo Berrettini (No. 95) started his grass-swing impeccably with a hard-fought first-round victory over 8th seed Roman Safiulin (No. 43) 7-6(8), 5-7, 7-5. Later on, the Italian secured straight-set wins over Denis Shapovalov (No. 117) and James Duckworth (No. 101) to reach the semifinals.

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In a dominant performance, he dispatched fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti (No. 30) 6-4, 6-0: "Obviously, it's never easy when you play against a good friend like Lorenzo. We know each other pretty well," Berrettini said. "Especially at the beginning, I think you could see there was a little bit of tension. But I was able to hold my nerves, especially when I served for the first set. And then after that I was feeling better and better and happy for the win."

This is Berrettini's best win since the 2023 Wimbledon, where he defeated No. 21 Alexander Zverev. The victory over Musetti extends his record on grass to 40-8 (83%), with four titles (including two at the Stuttgart Open) and a runner-up finish at the 2021 Wimbledon.

Matteo Berrettini in 2023 Wimbledon.

The Italian also secured a 30-place rise to world No. 65, his best ranking in a year. With just four ATP-level tournaments and one Challenger played this year, he enters his third final of the season, including the title in Marrakech and the final in the Phoenix Challenger.

Draper sets sights on maiden ATP title

Another player with a good chance to turn the page after injuries is Jack Draper. With his strong run in Stuttgart, he ensured he will be the new British No. 1 starting Monday, and at least world No. 32.

In his young career, the 22-year-old Brit has an 11-5 record on grass, four of those wins coming this week in Stuttgart. Draper is in the third final of his career and will seek his first ATP title.

Jack Draper at 2024 Adelaide International.

His journey as the 6th seed began with a victory in two tight tie-breaks against Austrian Sebastian Ofner (No. 52). He then had to battle against American Marcos Giron (No. 54) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and set up a meeting with 4th seed Frances Tiafoe (No. 28).

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A match that was decided in the third-set tie-break brought out Draper's best repertoire, totaling 31 aces, the most he has achieved in his career. His impressive serving then helped him comfortably defeat Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals without facing any break points against.

This will be the first meeting between Berrettini and Draper and will be played on Sunday starting at 12:00 local time at the Tennis Club Weissenhof. Stay updated with the latest live tennis scores from all your favorite matches.

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