Google News
World No. 7 Matteo Berrettini revealed he fought through stomach issues during his first round clash at the Australian Open. Berrettini, seeded at No. 7, recovered from a set down to beat rising American star Brandon Nakashima 4-6 6-2 7-6 (5) 6-3 in his Melbourne opener.
One of the key moments of the match came in the 10th game of the third set, when Berrettini saved two consecutive set points. “I’ve been feeling sick with my stomach, let’s say that,”Berrettini said in his on-court interview, per the ATP website.
“But that battling hold in the 10th game of set three gave him the belief to power through. “It was really important. I was feeling the match was changing a little bit there. I really held there with my mental strength mostly, because my body wasn’t there”.
Berrettini plays Sebastian Kozlov next
Next up for Berrettini will be Kozlov, who beat Jiri Vesely in his Melbourne opener. Berrettini was joined by Sebastian Korda on the winners' circle on the opening day as the American saw off Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-0 6-4.
“It wasn't easy. I didn't get a lot of preparation, didn't get any matches under my belt,” Korda said. “But I am just super happy with the way I came out. I stuck with my tactics. They worked really well and [I am] really comfortable on these courts”.
Korda now owns a 2-0 head-to-head against Norrie as he also beat the Briton in Delray Beach last year. “We played one year ago in Delray Beach in the semi-finals, and I also practised with him here, so I learned a couple of things during the practice and just used the tactics that I did with my team really well today,” Korda added.
“I think even in the tight situations I still stayed with it. I kept being aggressive, using my powerful strokes on these fast courts”.