Berrettini Battles Past Safiullin in Stuttgart Return

Matteo Berrettini, the two-time champion at the BOSS Open, made a hard-fought return to the grass-court season with a 7-6 (8), 5-7, 7-5 victory over Roman Safiullin in Stuttgart on Tuesday.

Berrettini, who missed Roland Garros for the third consecutive year due to fitness concerns, displayed resilience and determination throughout the match. Despite losing a 5-2 lead in the first-set tie-break, he rallied to win it and take an early advantage.

However, Safiullin fought back in the second set, leveling the match. Berrettini faced pressure in the decider but held his ground, saving multiple break points and converting his fourth match point to secure the victory.

"I'm really proud of the way I fought on court," Berrettini said after the match. "The tennis wasn't my best level, but I didn't expect anything different after not playing for months."

Denis Shapovalov will be Berrettini's next opponent in the second round. The Canadian defeated Matteo Martineau of France in straight sets.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray's hopes of a strong start to his grass-court campaign were dashed by Marcos Giron. The American broke Murray's serve once in each set to win 6-3, 6-4. Giron will face Jack Draper in the next round.

Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a tight match that went to two tie-breaks. Brandon Nakashima won an all-American clash with Chris Eubanks, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with lucky loser Richard Gasquet.

With top seed Alexander Zverev withdrawing from the tournament, Nakashima has a chance to make a deep run in Stuttgart.

Tags: #MatteoBerrettini, #BOSSOpen, #GrassCourtSeason, #Tennis, #Stuttgart