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Matteo Berrettini’s impressive run continues at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. The Roman player has now reached his third quarterfinal in as many appearances at the Austrian ATP 500 event. The Italian, who was also a semifinalist in 2019, defeated world No. 15 Frances Tiafoe in the round of 16 with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 after a grueling three-hour battle. This victory marks Berrettini’s 30th win of the ATP season, setting him up for a quarterfinal clash against Karen Khachanov. His pursuit of a top-seeded spot in time for the 2025 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the new season with reigning champion Jannik Sinner, is still on track.
The match started with a tough first game for Berrettini, who fended off two break points. The Italian then took control, breaking to lead 3-1. From that point, he dropped only two points on serve in the remainder of the first set, closing it out 6-3. Tiafoe responded fiercely in the second set, forcing Berrettini to save five break points in a marathon second game. After holding serve, the Italian broke Tiafoe again, but the American saved a match point and finally converted on his 13th break point to extend the set. In the tie-break, Berrettini missed two more match points, pushing the contest to a deciding set. Despite an early deficit, Berrettini recovered, securing the decisive break in the sixth game. With this win, Berrettini moves into the quarterfinals, joining fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who had already qualified.
