Berrettini cuts short Cachin’s title defence in Gstaad

Matteo Berrettini prevailed in a battle of former champions on Tuesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Italian overcame 2023 titlist Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6(2) in the first round at the clay-court ATP 250. Berrettini withstood blustery conditions in the Swiss Alps to register a one-hour, 41-minute victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Argentina’s Cachin.

“I’m really happy, first of all to be back,” said Berrettini, who himself won the title in Gstaad in 2018. “I have nice memories here, so it’s nice to be back. I didn’t expect this wind, it was really tough. Also, Pedro obviously loves to play in these conditions, he won last year, and he was really solid.

“The first match is never easy. You can practise a lot but it’s important to play the first match to know how you feel. I’m happy to be through and hopefully I’ll be at my best for the next round.”

Deal: SEALED ?@MattBerrettini takes out the defending champion in Gstaad, Cachin, 6-4 7-6!@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/sw3OK817JL

Berrettini saved all three break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to improve to 8-0 against Argentines since the start of 2020. The former No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings is now 9-1 in Gstaad, where he also reached the championship match in 2022 before losing to Casper Ruud.

The 28-year-old Berrettini, who lifted his first trophy since 2022 at another clay ATP 250 in Marrakech in April, will take on Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan in the second round in Switzerland.

Hamad Medjedovic also completed a first-round victory on Tuesday afternoon. In a match that began on Monday, the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion rallied past home favourite Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3 to advance to face top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Yannick Hanfmann, Quentin Halys and Gustavo Heide are also into the second round. Hanfmann downed Nicolas Moreno De Alboran 7-6(2), 6-7(2), 6-4, while Halys overcame his fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6(4), 7-6(5). Brazilian qualifier Heide notched just his second tour-level victory by defeating Stefano Napolitano 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(3).

It was a difficult day for the home favourites in Gstaad, with Swiss stars Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Stricker both bowing out in the opening round. The eighth-seeded Wawrinka, who made his ATP Tour debut in Gstaad as an 18-year-old in 2003, was edged by Lukas Klein, 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-5. Stricker was beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3. The 21-year-old is still searching for his first tour-level win since the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]