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Matteo Berrettini joined an elite group of players on Saturday after he beat Botic van de Zandschulp to reach the Queen's final, where he'll take on Filip Krajinovic. In the process, the 26-year-old became only the fourth active male player, 14th overall, to reach four consecutive grasscourt finals.
Berrettini, who beat Andy Murray to win the Stuttgart title last week, also made the 2021 Wimbledon final, losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets. By reaching the title match at Queen's for the second year running, the Italian is a win away from successfully defending his title at the prestigious grasscourt tournament.
Among active players, only Roger Federer (four times), Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have reached at least four consecutive grasscourt finals.
Berrettini was the superior player against van de Zandschulp in a rain-disrupted semifinal, with the Italian advancing to the summit clash after 91 minutes.
Last year, Berrettini beat Cameron Norrie to win his first Queen's title. He's now a win away from becoming the fourth active player to win multiple titles at the grasscourt tournament. Feliciano Lopez, Marin Cilic and Andy Murray are the other active players to have done so.
"I definitely think it was the best match of the week" - Matteo Berrettini after reaching Queen's final
Matteo Berrettini is on a roll heading into Wimbledon. The Italian dropped sets in three of his four matches en route to the Stuttgart title last week but has conceded just one in four matches this week to reach back-to-back Queen's finals.
Following his win over Botic van de Zandschulp, the World No. 10 admitted in his on-court interview that he had a tough day in the office. However, he added that he also played his best match of the week.
“It was a really tough match," said Berrettini. "We stopped for the rain. I had a lot of chances. It was windy again and really tough to play but I definitely think it was the best match of the week, so I am really happy and looking forward to the final."
The Italian will now take on familiar foe Krajinovic, whom he has beaten in the pair's two previous meetings, both times on clay. Berrettini needed three sets to beat the Serb in the 2019 Budapest final. However, two years later in the Belgrade quarterfinals, the Italian coasted to a straight-sets win over Krajinovic.
On current form, it's difficult to look beyond Berrettini as he seeks his fourth grasscourt title and second at Queen's.
