Berrettini stops Murray's comeback to seal the title in Stuttgart
ATP
Matteo Berrettini defeated Andy Murray in three sets to win his first title of the 2022 season at the Stuttgart Open.
It was a great tournament for both finalists. Murray seemed to gain some confidence on the grass courts again, while Berrettini had a dream comeback after an injury.
Yet, there could be only one champion at the 2022 Stuttgart Open. That was obvious also from the final match, as the players battled for more than two hours and 30 minutes to determine the champion.
Both players enjoyed plenty of break points in the first set, but only the Italian player used his chance to break his opponent's service game. That was enough for Berrettini to win the opening set of the match 6-4 in 50 minutes of play.
In the second set, Berrettini increased his firepower on the serve as he hit twice as many aces as in the first set. In the first set, the Italian player surprisingly hit only three aces, while his opponent hit six. That changed in the second set with Berrettini hitting seven and Murray only one.
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Yet, it was not enough for Berrettini to win the title already in the second set. Murray faced three break points in the ninth game of the second set but managed to avoid getting broken, and he later dominated the last two games of the set to win the second 7-5 and keep his hopes for the title in the German city alive.
However, Berrettini started the third set with a streak of eight consecutive points won, which granted him a swift 2-0 lead. Murray couldn't get a single break point throughout the set, as the Italian's serve seemed to be unreturnable.
Berrettini hit nine aces in the third set, which helped him to win the match in three sets 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, becoming the 2022 Stuttgart Open champion.
