[9] Karen Khachanov (RUS) vs. [22] Matteo Berrettini (ITA)
Perhaps it did not come as much of a surprise to the Berrettini Team as he has defeated the Russian the previous two times they played this year. The young Italian is on fire and he will like to ride this wave all the way to the final and hopefully not peak before Wimbledon.
Berrettini High On Confidence
Winning breeds winning. Berrettini won his first title in Gstaad about eleven months ago and after a dwindle in his performance, he seemed to have regrouped for the 2019 season. Things started to change for the Italian in March when he won a Challenger title in Arizona. Re-inspired he claimed his first title of the season, one month later in Budapest. He almost won consecutive titles; however, he came up short in the final of the BMW Open to Cristian Garin. Perhaps fatigue caught up to him, but he did not fare well at Roland Garros; yet, he rebounded one week later by winning the Mercedes Cup title in Germany. His big serve and the ability to slice the ball and keep it low makes his game suitable for the grass.
Khachanov’s Inconsistence Performance Continues
Khachanov continues to have a sub-par season given his huge serve and ponding groundstrokes. Hoping to turn things around before the third major of the season, the Russian came up short again. He lost in the third round of the Australian Open, then had three straight first round losses before getting to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells. This was followed by four consecutive first round losses. This inconsistent performance is probably what’s coming back to hurt him now.
He lacks the consistency required to gain confidence and tennis is all about confidence. Although he did better at Roland Garros, getting to the quarterfinals; he once again lost in the first round of his next tournament. Yet, he seemed to have halted the string of first round losses because he got to the quarterfinals before he lost today to Berrettini. Perhaps the Russian is feeling the pressure of expectation of a top ten ranked player.
Goffin Stuns Alexander Zverev
Berrettini won 6-2, 7-6(4) and he will play [33] David Goffin (BEL) in the semifinals (their first meeting).
SOURCE OF IMAGES: Zimbio.com (main image: Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images Europe-Matteo Berrettini)
