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Matteo Berrettini completed his stunning comeback on the ATP Tour after a long injury absence by winning the title at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, Morocco.
Matteo Berrettini was granted a slot in the main draw of the ATP 250 tournament via protected ranking and navigated his way through to his first final since October 2022. The Italian faced the defending champion and World No. 64 Roberto Carballes Baena in the title contest in Marrakech on April 7.
Berretini edged out Carballes Baena in a close-contested first set by breaking his serve twice. The former Wimbledon finalist was much more in the groove in the second set, breaking the Spaniard multiple times to emerge victorious 7-5, 6-2 in an hour and 42 minutes.
Matteo Berrettini defeated No. 6 seed Alexander Shevchenko, Jaume Munar, No. 4 seed Lorenzo Sonego and No. 7 seed Mariano Navone before bettering Roberto Carballes Baena on the way to the title at the Grand Prix Hassan II.
German tennis legend and former World No. 1 Boris Becker congratulated Berrettini after his triumph in Morocco. The title was made even more special as it came after the Italian missed six months of action due to an ankle injury before returning in March.
"Well done Matteo," Boris Becker wrote in an Instagram Story.
Grand Hassan Prix II was Berrettini's first ATP Tour title since his triumph at the ATP 500 Queen's Club Championships in June 2022.
Matteo Berrettini to next play at Monte-Carlo Masters, face Miomir Kecmanovic in 1R
After winning his 8th ATP Tour title at the Grand Prix Hassan II, Matteo Berrettini will next compete at the Monte-Carlo Masters in Monaco. The World No. 135 has been granted a main-draw wildcard and will face Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round on April 8.
Berrettini played at the Monte Carlo Masters last year as well and defeated Maxime Cressy in the first round. He beat Francisco Cerundolo in a three-set second-round affair before giving a walkover to Holger Rune in his next match. The win in Marrakech will be a massive boost to the former World No. 6's confidence.
Berrettini returned to tour action in March 2024 after his injury layoff. He played at the Phoenix Challenger and bettered the likes of Arthur Cazuax and Aleksander Vukic before losing to Nuno Borges in the final. The 27-year-old then played at the Miami Open but lost to Andy Murray in the first round.
