Italy suffered a disappointing loss to Australia in the ATP Cup on Sunday, but Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner turned things around on Tuesday.

Berrettini clinched his country’s victory over France with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over Ugo Humbert. It was a solid performance against the fit Frenchman, who surprised world number 2 Daniil Medvedev on Sunday.

“[It was] a really difficult match, especially in these conditions. He is an excellent server, a delicate, left-handed player. I had to play my best tennis in the important moments to win the match, “said Berrettini.” I’m really happy [with] my performance. I need to play as many matches as possible, so I’m happy. “

Two-time Nitto ATP Finals contender Berrettini lost his season opener to Alex de Minaur in straight sets but dominated with his serve at Qudos Bank Arena. The 25-year-old netted 18 aces and won 85% of his first serve points to take Italy to 1-1. After hitting his 18th ace for the win, he knocked down a hammer with his right arm, which he did exactly in the game.

“I haven’t checked the statistics, [but] I felt good. I think the beat was really good and I think I [hit] lots of aces. Of course you don’t get tired when you serve like that, so I was more ready when I had to come back, ”said Berrettini. “It’s a big gun that I have and when it works like that it helps me a lot. . “

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^{Photo credit: Andrew Eichenholz / ATP Tour}
Sinner got off to a good start in Italy, defeating Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 7-6 (3) to give his country a 1-0 lead. The world number 10 recovered after a breakage in the second set to triumph after an hour and 37 minutes.

“It’s never easy to play against him, it was already the third time. The first set, I was under control. In the second set, I lost a little intensity. He serves very well, so I was in trouble, ”Sinner said. . “But luckily I found a way.”

Sinner now leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head 2-1. Rinderknech beat his youngest opponent last year on clay in Lyon and looked set to try another upset in Sydney when he broke in the second set.

The Frenchman was playing aggressively and using his big serve to keep Sinner from dominating from the baseline. But a slip allowed the Italian to return to serve, which turned out to be critical.

“Tennis is about trying to find solutions and today I have found it, luckily,” said Sinner. “Obviously we want to win so we’ll try to stay focused [as a team]. “

France are now 0-2 at this year’s ATP Cup, having also lost to Russia. Russia and Australia, both 1-0, meet at Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday evening.