Matteo Berrettini gets revenge on Roberto Carballes Baena in Naples

In their second meeting in as many weeks, the Italian comfortably cruised past Carballes Baena to reach the quarterfinals and avenge last week’s loss in Florence.

ByAssociated Press

Published Oct 20, 2022

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NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Second-seeded Matteo Berrettini comfortably beat Roberto Carballes Baena in the beleaguered Napoli Cup on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals and avenge last week's loss in Florence.

Just eight days after Carballes Baena had upset the Italian on the indoor courts in Florence, Berrettini took just 91 minutes to triumph 6-4, 6-2 on the outdoor courts in Naples in front of another passionate home crowd.

"The atmosphere, the conditions (were different to Florence) for sure," Berrettini said. "This is outdoor, way warmer, and I wanted to get revenge.

"I felt like I had a lot of chances last week and it was tough to digest, especially because I played in Florence, in Italy, so it was really tough. But today I stepped on the court, I think with even more will to win this match, and I think I played better."

Berrettini will next face Taro Daniel, after the Japanese player beat Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6 (2).

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Mackenzie McDonald of the United States upset third-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 in the second round, just hours after also eliminating Francesco Passaro in the delayed tournament.

Several players had to pull double duty on Thursday as the start of the singles main draw had been postponed by two days from Monday because of multiple issues with the playing surface.

Players had threatened to boycott the event, and play was also stopped early on Wednesday when it finally got underway because of humidity and slippery conditions on the courts situated next to the bay.

Chinese qualifier Zhang Zhizhen started off the morning by completing his 6-4, 7-6 (8) victory over Marton Fucsovics before returning to see off sixth-seeded Sebastian Baez 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11) to leave him on the verge of becoming the first Chinese player to break into the top 100 when the ATP rankings are announced Monday.

Top-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta was playing Fabio Fognini later.

Naples was awarded a single-year license to host the ATP 250-level tournament.

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