Spoiler:
Fognini beat Paire, French won doubles
Matteo Berrettini clinched Italy's spot in the ATP Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, defeating Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-2 to seal his country's tie against France. Fabio Fognini battled past Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(2) in a roller-coaster match earlier in the day.
Berrettini has dominated at Melbourne Park, defeating two of the top 11 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings — Dominic Thiem and Monfils — to lead his country out of Group C. The Italian, who went just 9-6 in singles play last year, is a combined 3-0 in singles and doubles at this ATP Cup.
"It's a great team, great guys. We are enjoying on court, but off court as well. I think when you're playing for your country, for your team, it's something special," Berrettini said in his on-court interview. "Definitely this is a competition that I missed last year and this year I was really looking forward to playing. I'm happy to be here and really happy for my team because we are through to the semi-finals."
<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/matt ... ew'>Matteo Berrettini</a>
The World No. 10 went down an early break against Monfils, and he appeared in for a battle. In their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, in the 2019 US Open quarter-finals, Berrettini needed three hours and 57 minutes across five gruelling sets to triumph.
But this time, Berrettini's consistent power proved too much for the World No. 11, who increasingly misfired as the match went on. French captain Richard Ruckelshausen urged his charge to stay aggressive, but to do so by taking the ball early and using his feet, not necessarily by trying to crush the ball.
While Monfils enjoyed some moments of brilliance, his Italian opponent never got too high or too low, and he did not overdo his aggression when Monfils attempted to extend points.
Monfils tried to pump himself up throughout the match. After receiving treatment on his right shoulder during the 4-1 changeover in the second set, the Frenchman earned a service break to keep his hopes alive. But Berrettini broke serve five times in his one-hour, 34-minute victory, which he finished with a forehand volley winner.
"I was ready for any score. I kept going," Berrettini said. "I thought about my weapons and that's how I won the match."
<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/fabi ... iew'>Fabio Fognini</a>
Fognini won just five games in his ATP Cup opener Tuesday, but he rebounded Wednesday to beat Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(2) and give Italy a 1-0 lead.
It was a wild match of runs inside John Cain Arena. Although Fognini nearly let slip a seemingly insurmountable 6-1, 3-0 advantage, he battled through in straight sets after one hour and 19 minutes.
"For sure I'm happy about my performance," Fognini said in his on-court interview. "The second set was really tough."
How To Watch
Fognini took advantage of Paire’s erratic play — including four double faults in one game — to cruise through the first set in just more than 20 minutes. The Frenchman became increasingly frustrated with his second serve, hitting five double faults from seven second serves in the opener. The Italian also showed his shotmaking skills, from lacing his two-handed backhand to finding an incredible angle for a winner.
"I was playing really solid, but Benoit was doing a lot of mistakes. I have to be honest," Fognini said. "Of course when he starts to play [well], he's a really dangerous player. He can play really good."
But despite trailing 0-3 in the second set, Paire battled hard to find a way back into the match.
“You have to try to focus on the things that you can use,” Ruckelshausen told Paire at that 0-3 changeover. “Come on, stay with it.”
Paire’s two-handed backhand, which is one of the best in the game, began firing, and he used his drop shot to great effect. Fognini’s level did not drop dramatically, but the Italian became aggravated as his lead slipped away. Paire won five consecutive games to serve for the second set at 5-4, but Fognini clawed his way back into the set with a crucial forehand passing shot winner.
Fognini was simply the more solid player, and that paid dividends as he closed out the match in the tie-break. The former World No. 9 saved seven of the nine break points he faced and took full advantage of Paire's 10 double faults.
Italy ultimately defeated France 2-1 in the tie. French doubles stars Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin earned a win for their country by beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4 in 67 minutes.
Last year, the Frenchmen went 0-3 at the ATP Cup. But they showed a solid level against the Italians, winning all 10 of their service games.
Matteo Berrettini clinched Italy's spot in the ATP Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, defeating Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-2 to seal his country's tie against France. Fabio Fognini battled past Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(2) in a roller-coaster match earlier in the day.
Berrettini has dominated at Melbourne Park, defeating two of the top 11 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings — Dominic Thiem and Monfils — to lead his country out of Group C. The Italian, who went just 9-6 in singles play last year, is a combined 3-0 in singles and doubles at this ATP Cup.
"It's a great team, great guys. We are enjoying on court, but off court as well. I think when you're playing for your country, for your team, it's something special," Berrettini said in his on-court interview. "Definitely this is a competition that I missed last year and this year I was really looking forward to playing. I'm happy to be here and really happy for my team because we are through to the semi-finals."
<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/matt ... ew'>Matteo Berrettini</a>
The World No. 10 went down an early break against Monfils, and he appeared in for a battle. In their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, in the 2019 US Open quarter-finals, Berrettini needed three hours and 57 minutes across five gruelling sets to triumph.
But this time, Berrettini's consistent power proved too much for the World No. 11, who increasingly misfired as the match went on. French captain Richard Ruckelshausen urged his charge to stay aggressive, but to do so by taking the ball early and using his feet, not necessarily by trying to crush the ball.
While Monfils enjoyed some moments of brilliance, his Italian opponent never got too high or too low, and he did not overdo his aggression when Monfils attempted to extend points.
Monfils tried to pump himself up throughout the match. After receiving treatment on his right shoulder during the 4-1 changeover in the second set, the Frenchman earned a service break to keep his hopes alive. But Berrettini broke serve five times in his one-hour, 34-minute victory, which he finished with a forehand volley winner.
"I was ready for any score. I kept going," Berrettini said. "I thought about my weapons and that's how I won the match."
<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/fabi ... iew'>Fabio Fognini</a>
Fognini won just five games in his ATP Cup opener Tuesday, but he rebounded Wednesday to beat Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(2) and give Italy a 1-0 lead.
It was a wild match of runs inside John Cain Arena. Although Fognini nearly let slip a seemingly insurmountable 6-1, 3-0 advantage, he battled through in straight sets after one hour and 19 minutes.
"For sure I'm happy about my performance," Fognini said in his on-court interview. "The second set was really tough."
How To Watch
Fognini took advantage of Paire’s erratic play — including four double faults in one game — to cruise through the first set in just more than 20 minutes. The Frenchman became increasingly frustrated with his second serve, hitting five double faults from seven second serves in the opener. The Italian also showed his shotmaking skills, from lacing his two-handed backhand to finding an incredible angle for a winner.
"I was playing really solid, but Benoit was doing a lot of mistakes. I have to be honest," Fognini said. "Of course when he starts to play [well], he's a really dangerous player. He can play really good."
But despite trailing 0-3 in the second set, Paire battled hard to find a way back into the match.
“You have to try to focus on the things that you can use,” Ruckelshausen told Paire at that 0-3 changeover. “Come on, stay with it.”
Paire’s two-handed backhand, which is one of the best in the game, began firing, and he used his drop shot to great effect. Fognini’s level did not drop dramatically, but the Italian became aggravated as his lead slipped away. Paire won five consecutive games to serve for the second set at 5-4, but Fognini clawed his way back into the set with a crucial forehand passing shot winner.
Fognini was simply the more solid player, and that paid dividends as he closed out the match in the tie-break. The former World No. 9 saved seven of the nine break points he faced and took full advantage of Paire's 10 double faults.
Italy ultimately defeated France 2-1 in the tie. French doubles stars Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin earned a win for their country by beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4 in 67 minutes.
Last year, the Frenchmen went 0-3 at the ATP Cup. But they showed a solid level against the Italians, winning all 10 of their service games.
