Berrettini stuns Bautista for career-first title in Gstaad

Author: Agencies

GSTAAD: Italy’s Matteo Berrettini overcame second seed Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(9) 6-4 to win his first title at the Swiss Open in Gstaad on Sunday. World number 17 Bautista Agut, who was playing in his first event since he suffered a hip injury in Halle, gave everything to stay in contention after fending off five break points but failed to match his opponent’s powerful groundstrokes. The 22-year-old Berrettini snatched the opening set tiebreak 11-9, before converting a break point in the 10th game of the second to wrap up the victory. “From the beginning until the end it was really tough to break him,” Berrettini said. “I served really good most of the days and it was an unbelievable tiebreak. “If I lost the tiebreak, I think the match would have been really tough. I was lucky I did a really good job.” Playing in his first tour level final, Berrettini produced a fearless display, firing 17 aces and losing 12 points on serve in total. He finished the tournament without dropping a set, ousting 2016 champion Feliciano Lopez and fourth seed Andrey Rublev on his way to lifting the title.

Published in Daily Times, July 30th 2018.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Op-Ed

Silent Screams

Child sexual exploitation, the ugly reality no one wants to acknowledge, is deeply ingrained in…

6 hours ago
  • Editorial

Chaos Prevails

Bad blood-related news comes from Balochistan almost every other day. And the attack on a…

6 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

Trump’s Victory and Pakistan

Donald Trump's victory as the President of the United States has raised numerous new questions…

6 hours ago
  • Editorial

Cricket Diplomacy

The International Cricket Council (ICC) finds itself entangled in an unwarranted controversy sparked by India's…

6 hours ago
  • Cartoons

TODAY’S CARTOON

6 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

Buyer Beware

Being a consumer in Pakistan is no walk in the park. It is a test…

6 hours ago