Jannik Sinner’s emergence cast Matteo Berrettini ever so slightly into the shadows but when healthy, the older of the two Italians remains a big threat.
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In his first match at the Australian Open in two years, the former Wimbledon finalist beat former Wimbledon semifinalist Cam Norrie 6-7(4) 6-4 6-1 6-3 in a Kia Arena bathed in sunshine on Day 3.
“It’s been a long time since I won a match here,” reflected Berrettini, whose last victories at Melbourne Park came as part of his semifinal berth in 2022. “Really happy. The atmosphere was unbelievable.
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“I’m trying to enjoy every single match. I missed it. Last year I watched it from home, and it’s never easy.”
Berrettini’s ankle injury ruled him out 12 months ago, but when he returned to the tour in 2024, the 28-year-old made up for lost time.
Berrettini landed three titles to help push his ranking up to its current No.34, and played a key role as Italy repeated as Davis Cup champions.
Against Norrie, he cracked 32 aces, only lost 12 points on first serve and saved all five break points faced. He recovered, too, after relinquishing a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak.
“We practised many times together,” said Berrettini, now 2-0 against the Englishman. “He’s a tricky player. Lefty, fighting a lot, so I had to dig deep. Very happy with my performance, especially the serve.”
He meets a Grand Slam quarterfinalist next in Holger Rune, who advanced in five sets on Tuesday.
Monfils battles past compatriot Mpetshi Perricard
How about this for an encore? Days after becoming the oldest man to ever win an ATP title – bypassing Roger Federer – Gael Monfils won a five-setter in close to four hours.
The 38-year-old’s opponent happened to be his massive serving fellow Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Monfils beat the No.30 seed 7-6(7) 6-3 6-7(8) 6-7(5) 6-4 at Court 3, overcoming two match points that fell away in the third set tiebreak. One of those was a double fault.
“I don't really look up my age,” said Monfils. “It is just a number. Then I try to avoid to think about it, but I can tell you that tomorrow morning I will be more 48 than 38,” he added with a smile.
The 203cm Mpetshi Perricard hit 19 aces, which was about his season average of 2024. However, the 22-year-old will rue a missed smash close to the net on set point in the opening tiebreak.
But over the five sets, he didn’t earn a break point, which had never previously happened in a five-set contest at a Slam since records began in 1991.
The battle wasn’t all about serves, however.
Mpetshi Perricard stole some of showman Monfils’ thunder by hitting a tweener lob facing the net.
Monfils won his 20th fifth set and first at the Australian Open in 10 years, having fallen to Berrettini in his previous one in 2022.
Musetti wins another national derby
Lorenzo Musetti advanced in another national derby lasting four hours, overcoming fellow Italian and Davis Cup teammate Matteo Arnaldi 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(5) 6-3.
The No. 16 seed – one of the dads on tour – enjoyed his finest campaign in 2024. Winning Olympic bronze on clay and reaching the Wimbledon semifinals counted among his many highlights.
Musetti held a 3-0 record against No. 39 Arnaldi, and their past duels may have played a role in the final outcome at Kia Arena.
Arnaldi, who spent his off-season practising in Melbourne, let slip a 5-2 lead in the first and 3-1 advantage in the fourth.
Musetti struggled with a thigh issue early in the fourth but didn’t wane.
He often sparkles with his shot-making, and Musetti duly produced a lasered forehand smash from yards behind the baseline that caught his friend off-guard on the penultimate point.
“I knew walking out playing a friend and teammate was going to be tough,” Musetti said post match. “And as you can (see by the) clock, you can see the toughness of the match.”
Hurkacz wins battle of big servers
Fans in the know who watched Hubert Hurkacz’s match against Tallon Griekspoor at 1573 Arena might have expected a tiebreak or two.
After all, Hurkacz played the most men’s tiebreaks in 2024, with Griekspoor in the top five. And in their previous head-to-head in Rotterdam last February, Griekspoor edged a three-tiebreak affair.
It didn’t happen this time, though, with Hurkacz winning 7-5 6-4 6-4 at his first major since hiring high-profile coaches Nicolas Massu and Ivan Lendl.
Hurkacz – a quarterfinalist at Melbourne Park in 2024 – delivered 14 aces and was only broken once.
Griekspoor – whose slight ranking drop meant he missed being seeded – faced 18 break points.
He didn’t go down tamely, initially fending off five match points.
In an eventful last few months for the Dutchman, he cut ties with his coach and didn’t contest any lead-in tournaments.