LONDON: Top seed Matteo Berrettini became the first debutant since Boris Becker in 1985 to win the Queen’s tournament, beating Briton Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Italian may have dropped his first set of the week but his booming serve held up with 19 aces bombarding Norrie as he secured his fifth ATP title.
Becker went on to win his first Wimbledon title aged just 17 weeks later but Berrettini, 25, was happy solely to focus on Sunday’s victory. “This is the nicest trophy for sure with all due respect to the others I have won,” said Berrettini, who won 45 successive service games after being broken twice in the first round.
“It has been an unbelievable week if I think about his (Becker) name and my name on the same board it is crazy.
“I dreamed about playing in this tournament as I watched it as a kid.”
Berrettini, ranked ninth in the world and one of 10 Italians in the top 100, paid tribute to his opponent. “He is a great player. We had never played each other before but he showed this year he can play on all surfaces.
“Today I am happy for myself for sure (he grinned).
“In the rallies Norrie is dangerous so it was important to have my service in order.
“These courts are really nice and easy to adapt to even if the weather was English for the last days of the week.” Berrettini — the first Italian to win the title — said his entourage might force him to enjoy a restrained celebration. “Probably room service and sparkling water,” he said.
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