Matteo Berrettini is through to yet another Stuttgart Open final after downing his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-final of the ATP 250 Tournament.
Seeing Berrettini in the Stuttgart Open semi-final was no surprise because the Italian won a title in the German city two years ago. Seeing Musetti in the semi-final was quite a surprise because playing well on grass doesn't come naturally to him, but he played really well this week, and also last year, so it seems that he's starting to develop into a really good grass-court player.
The favorite, though, was the more experienced Italian, and he was heavily so, with the reason being his familiarity with both the event and the surface. It was evident early in the match that Musetti really lacked a way to trouble his compatriot consistently.
He had an early break but lost his serve in the very next game, which set Berrettini on a rampage that concluded with a bagel in the second set. The opening set was a 6-4 for the former Wimbledon finalist, who used the only break opportunity he had, and that was enough.
He didn't bombard away with the serve in the opening set because Musetti did well to put his racket on most of those, but he failed to really put too much pressure on them.
He was aggressive by design but overhit in crucial moments, such as when facing break points. The second set was brutal, as there was no doubt who was the better player.
Berrettini was just flying all over the court and hitting some incredible shots, totaling 11 winners in that second set—twice as many as he had in the opening set.
Musetti himself lost motivation quickly after losing his serve early, and it was a comfortable 6-4, 6-0 win for Berrettini, who moved on to the final. It was a scoreline we don't see often on grass but well deserved for the 28-year-old.