Berrettini shakes off hoodoo to help Italy advance

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Matteo Berrettini has beaten satellite No.3 Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to pb Italy past Norway and into the Brisbane metropolis last of the United Cup.

Berrettini’s triumph gave Italy and unassailable 3-0 pb implicit Norway connected Tuesday and ensured it volition decorativeness atop Group E astatine the mixed teams tourney and volition look either Poland oregon Switzerland connected Wednesday.

Ruud had doubly beaten Berrettini successful 2022, successful the last of the Swiss Open and successful the quarterfinals of the US Open, winning 5 consecutive sets against the Italian, but Berrettini turned the tables astatine the Pat Rafter Arena Tuesday.

“The extremity is to person the longest tally possible,” Berrettini said. “It’s ace bully to play with my teammates. We cognize each different since a truly young age. It’s brainsick and present we’re representing Italy. It’s specified an honour for us.”

Ruud showed bully signifier connected hard courts successful 2022, reaching an ATP 1000 last and the title lucifer astatine the ATP Finals, but Berrettini was the much assertive subordinate Tuesday successful blistery conditions successful Brisbane.

Berrettini faced 2 interruption points astatine 2-3 successful the archetypal acceptable and if Ruud had converted, helium mightiness person taken power of the match. But the Norwegian wasn’t capable to enactment a instrumentality successful tribunal connected either constituent arsenic Berrettini met the situation with 2 booming services. He finished with 10 aces and won 88 per cent of archetypal service points.

“Casper, he’s a super-solid player,” Berrettini said. “He improved truthful overmuch successful the past twelvemonth truthful I knew that I had to service my best."

In Perth, Maria Sakkari earned Greece a Perth metropolis last spot with a 6-1, 7-5 decision of Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

Greece required lone 2 points from the last necktie of Group A to beforehand and Sakkari’s triumph backed up compatriot Stefanos Tsitsipas’ decision of David Goffin connected Monday.

“It was a precise coagulated lucifer from my side,” Sakkari said. “Obviously I was tense successful the opening due to the fact that I knew my lucifer was crucial, but I managed to play a bully game, adjacent though successful immoderate moments it wasn’t pretty. I’m precise blessed I was capable to get america done the radical stages.”

In Sydney, the United States completed a 5-0 triumph implicit Germany with wins by Jessica Pegula against Laura Siegemund and Frances Tiafoe implicit Oscar Otte. Pegula and Taylor Fritz past combined to bushed Julia Lohoff and Fabian Fallert successful the mixed doubles arsenic the United States topped Group C.

Team USA volition play Great Britain successful the Sydney City Final connected Wednesday.

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