Berrettini Confirms His Return to Form and Eliminates Zverev in the Second Round at Monte-Carlo

The second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 offered a highly intriguing matchup on Tuesday between world No. 2 Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.

Still the top seed in Jannik Sinner’s absence, the German needed to regain momentum after a tricky start to the season following his lost Australian Open final against the Italian.

However, Zverev admittedly didn’t have the easiest draw, as he faced the 34th-ranked Berrettini. The 28-year-old Italian has been in strong form in 2025, notably reaching the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters 1000 and defeating Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career in Doha.

Additionally, he came into this match fresh off a win against qualifier Mariano Navone, a clay-court specialist, in the first round of the Monaco tournament (6-4, 6-4).

The first set was largely dominated by Zverev. Playing confidently against an opponent who took time to settle in, the German converted his only two break points (and didn’t concede any in the opening set) to logically take the lead.

But Berrettini’s response was swift. More solid this time, he held all his service games and was highly opportunistic on his opponent’s serve (converting one break point) to level the match and force a decisive third set.

Struggling in recent weeks, Zverev—who hasn’t reached a single semifinal since his run in Melbourne—confirmed his rough patch, in stark contrast to a resurgent Berrettini. The Italian broke at 3-3 before saving a break-back point in the following game.

Ultimately, Matteo Berrettini secured victory in just under two and a half hours, serving for the match for the second time (2-6, 6-3, 7-5), and advanced to the round of 16, where he will face the winner of the clash between Lorenzo Musetti and Jiri Lehecka.

This marks Berrettini’s third win against Zverev in seven meetings, and his second consecutive victory after their Wimbledon encounter two years ago.

Having fallen in the third round last year in Monaco, the two-time ATP Finals champion continues his struggles, with the added pressure of defending points from last year’s Rome title and Roland-Garros final.