Berrettini ends Baena’s winning run to clinch crown in Marrakech

Matteo Berrettiniu marched to the title in just his second tour-level event of the season on Sunday in Morocco where he snapped Roberto Carballes Baena’s nine-match winning streak in Marrakech with a 7-5, 6-2 victory.

The Italian produced a superb display of hitting in a high-quality championship match to lift his first trophy since his Queen’s Club victory in 2022. He notched two breaks of serve in each set, particularly raising his level in the second for a one-hour, 46-minute triumph at the clay-court ATP 250.

“I want to thank my team,” said Berrettini at the trophy ceremony. “It’s been a tough past couple of years, I would say, and thanks to them I was able to overcome all the tough moments. My body wasn’t allowing me to play, so it’s thanks to [them] that I am here.

“[I also want to thank] all the people that made my comeback possible. All my friends, my family, people that were with me all the times when I was sad and injured, and I didn’t think I could make it, so thank you very much.”

The 2021 Wimbledon finalist was playing just his third tournament back after missing six months with an ankle injury. He dropped only two sets all week in Marrakech, where he is the first Italian champion since 2006. The 27-year-old now owns eight ATP Tour titles.