It will be an all-Italian showdown when good friends and familiar foes Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Berrettini battle for a place in the semifinals of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Friday.
Berrettini has won four of their five previous encounters, but it has never been routine for him against his compatriot on the main tour. In between a three-set win for Berrettini on the grass of Stuttgart in 2022 and a four-set victory at Wimbledon in 2023, Sonego rolled 6-1, 6-2 last summer in Stuttgart.
Their first clay-court meeting figures to be competitive. Right now Sonego is the much higher ranked of the two Italians at No. 61 in the world. The 28-year-old has been solid but unspectacular so far in 2024, advancing at least one round at five different tournaments. That includes a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Sumit Nagal on Wednesday, which was preceded by an opening bye as Marrakech’s fourth seed.
Berrettini is back in action after sustaining an ankle injury at the U.S. Open that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. The 27-year-old is down at No. 135 in the world and used a protected ranking to gain entry into the Marrakech main draw. Berrettini, who picked up momentum by reaching the final of last month’s Phoenix Challenger, has made the most of his opportunity this week with defeats of Alexander Shevchenko (6-2, 6-1) and Jaume Munar (6-4, 4-6, 6-3).
Although both of these players are solid on all surfaces, clay is probably better for Sonego in this matchup than grass or a fast hard court because it gives him a chance to thwart Berrettini’s superior firepower. Moreover, even though Berrettini is starting to play good tennis again he remains far from his peak level.
Pick: Sonego in 3
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