Alexander Zverev beats Matteo Berrettini to win Madrid Open and underline French Open credentials
Alexander Zverev backed up his wins over Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem with a final victory against Matteo Berrettini. "This is definitely a special win," he said. "I just want to enjoy it. I didn't play too many guys who can serve like him, so it was a difficult match."
Monday 10 May 2021 08:32, UK
Alexander Zverev underlined his credentials as a French Open title contender with a battling 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3 victory over Italian Matteo Berrettini to claim his fourth Masters 1000 crown and second Madrid Open title.
Germany's Zverev, the conqueror of clay-court specialists Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem en route to the final, dropped his first set of the tournament. However, he fought back under a closed roof at the Manolo Santana stadium to lift his first clay-court title since 2019.
"I feel awesome," Zverev said at a courtside interview. "It's great. This is definitely a special win. I just want to enjoy it. I didn't play too many guys who can serve like him, so it was a difficult match."
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Berrettini showed no sign of nerves in his maiden ATP 1000 final and landed the first blow, taking the opening set in a tie-break, where he initially let slip a 5-0 advantage and then saved a set point.
But Zverev, who was champion in Madrid in 2018, hit back strongly in the second set, breaking the 25-year-old Italian in the ninth game to force a decider.
With unforced errors creeping into Berrettini's game, the Italian squandered a break point at 2-2 and then proceeded to drop his own serve as Zverev inched closer to victory.
The fifth-seeded German did not let up and another break confirmed the win in two hours and 40 minutes.
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Zverev will shift his focus to Rome next week before continuing his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, where he has never been beyond the quarter-finals.
"It's difficult to switch, but Rome is also an event I like and I hope I can perform the same way," Zverev added.
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