Berrettini Battles Through In Naples

With his back against the wall Saturday, Matteo Berrettini survived to reach the final at the Tennis Napoli Cup. After a slow start, the Italian raised his level on serve to overcome American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.

In a hard-fought clash at the ATP 250 event, Berrettini struggled on serve in the first set and was troubled by a foot injury, receiving a medical timeout at 2-5 in the opener.

However, the second seed stuck to the task at hand and slowly turned the match around. He fired 10 aces across the second and third sets, striking 30 winners to advance after two hours and 25 minutes on home soil.

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With his victory, Berrettini has climbed to 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 2375 points. The 26-year-old, currently 690 points behind seventh-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, will need a strong end to the season to give him a chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for a third time.

Berrettini, who did not drop a set in his opening two matches in Naples, will face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic or countryman Lorenzo Musetti in the final on Sunday. The second seed is chasing his third tour-level title of the season this week, after triumphing on grass in Stuttgart and The Queen’s Club.