Hey tennis fans! 🎾 Have you heard the big news from the Qatar Open? Italy’s Matteo Berrettini pulled off a stunning victory against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the first round! 😱
Berrettini won the match 7-6(4), 6-2, marking his first-ever win over the former world No. 1. It took him one hour and 35 minutes, and he played amazingly to knock out the two-time champion!
“It’s something that I’ve been looking to do,” said Berrettini, who had lost all four of his previous matches against Djokovic. “I had the honor and the pleasure to play against him. I wish I could have won one of those matches as well.”
Now, Berrettini, ranked No. 35 in the world, will face Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands in the next round. Good luck, Matteo! 🍀
As for Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner was aiming for his 100th ATP title. This was his first singles match since retiring from the Australian Open semi-finals due to a hamstring injury.
“I was outplayed by just a better player today,” Djokovic said. “I wasn’t at my desired level, but I played without pain so there is no excuse.”
Djokovic will now focus on the doubles event, teaming up with Spain’s Fernando Verdasco. They’ll be playing against Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Britain’s Henry Patten in the quarterfinals. Let’s see how they do! 🤞
In other news, Zhang Zhizhen from China was knocked out by Italy’s Luca Nardi with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Zhang was leading 3-2 in the first set but then lost four straight games. It was his second loss to Nardi this year.
Stay tuned for more exciting tennis updates! 🎾✨
Reference(s):
Matteo Berrettini stuns Novak Djokovic in Qatar Open first round
cgtn.com
