Early-week dismay over a faulty temporary court which halted play for a day or two evaporated in Naples as Matteo Berrettini and young gun Lorenzo Musetti set up an all-Italian final.
The Sunday clash between the 2021 Wimbledon finalist ranked 16th after injury and COVID setbacks and his 20-year-old opponent who won the summer Hamburg title should thrill picky fans in the bawdy port city.
The Southern Italian showdown will be a test for Berrettini, who needed a medical timeout trailing 2-5 in the opening set of his 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3. defeat of American Mackenzie McDonald.
No. 24 Musetti booked his final spot over Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4.
The one-off event designed to replace major ATP tournaments in China, almost didn’t happen after humidity from the Mediterranean sea made the court unplayable at night.
The surface itself had to be replaced in a rush patch job last Monday after being trucked down on an emergency basis from the just-completed Florence ATP 250 event.
Berrettini dropped the opening set but managed to turn the tide of his semi-final against the 74th-ranked McDonald, finishing with 10 aces, 30 winners and five breaks of serve.
“I don’t even know how I did it,” the winner said. “I wasn’t feeling very good. I asked for the physio because my foot was hurting.
“It happened so many times in my career that I had to fight through so many things, not just thinking about the tennis ball.
“I didn’t want to retire. My team told me ‘I think you should stop’. But I tried and I found a way.”
Musetti was playing his third consecutive semi-final after Sofia and Florence.
He won in 89 minutes with three breaks of his Serb opponent to play for his second title of the season.
Main photo:- 2021 Wimbledon finalist Mattteo Berrettini
