Berrettini cuts Cachin’s title defense in Gstaad | ATP Tour

Gstaad

Berrettini cuts Cachin’s title defense in Gstaad

Medjedovic will be the first rival of the top seed Tsitsipas in the ATP 250

July 16, 2024

The draws can sometimes define the early stages of tournaments and Matteo Berrettini came out on top in a battle of former champions at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad on Tuesday.

The Italian overcame 2023 champion Pedro Cachin 6-4 7-6(2) in the first round of the ATP 250 clay-court event. Berrettini withstood windy conditions in the Swiss Alps to record a one-hour, 41-minute victory in his Lexus ATP Head2Head debut against Cachin.

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

“The first match is never easy. You can practice a lot, but it’s important to play the first match to know how you feel. I’m happy to have made it through and I hope to be at my best in the next round,” he predicted.

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.

Berrettini, 28, who lifted his first trophy since 2022 at another ATP 250 clay-court event in Marrakech in April, will face Colombian Daniel Galán in the second round in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, 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 favorite 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 in the second round. Hanfmann defeated Nicolas Moreno De Alboran 7-6(2), 6-7(2) and 6-4, while Halys beat fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6(4) and 7-6(5). Brazilian Heide, who is qualifying for the second time in his career, beat Stefano Napolitano 7-6(4), 5-7 and 7-6(3).