MATTEO BERRETTINI blasted his way into his first Grand Slam final as he outhit Roger Federer’s shock conqueror Hubert Hurkacz.
Italian star Berrettini, winner at Queen’s last month, showed why he is a natural on grass as his power-play blitzed the Pole.
Hurkacz simply had no answer to Berrettini’s precision and penetration as he was smashed off court for two sets, before the Italian confirmed his passage with a 6-3 6-0 6-7 6-4 in just over two-and-a-half hours.
Berrettini, 25, is the first Italian to ever play in a Wimbledon singles final, but there was never a moment on Centre Court when he looked like being denied, even when it went to a fourth set.
Time after time, that booming first serve found Hurkacz struggling to get the ball back in play, if he could get a racket on it at all.
No7 seed Berrettini, who came into the match with a tournament-leading 79 aces, unleashed 22 more, with his fastest serve clocked at 137mph.
And it all left the poor Pole flailing and failing, despite the desperate attempts of the crowd to give him some backing.
Berrettini took control as he reeled off 11 games in succession, to go from 2-3 down in the first set to lead 1-0 in the third.
Hurkacz did not help himself, making far too many unforced errors and mishits, including one overhead off the frame that was not too far away from David Beckham in the Royal Box.
Berrettini, by contrast, was a model of consistency, his forehand a thudding weapon that pushed the Pole deep into the back of the court.
BETTING SPECIAL – Get McGregor to win by knockout, TKO or DQ at 40/1
Anticipation level
Execution levelMatteo Berrettini turned up with his very best
#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/eKZAAAlgW3
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2021
Into the history books
@MattBerrettini becomes the first Italian player to reach a singles final at #Wimbledon, beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4 pic.twitter.com/NkKbXbuaQC
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2021
Hurkacz lost the first set with a forehand error before a frustrating series of blemishes saw the Italian rattle through the second in barely 20 minutes.
By the time Hurkacz stopped the rot at the start of the third set, he was already staring down the barrel of defeat.
The 14th seed dug deep to extend the match by outplaying Berrettini in the tie-break, winning it 7-3 but then handed the initiative straight back as he was broken in the opener of the fourth.
And with Berrettini’s serve continuing to dominate, the 22nd ace set up his first match point, with Hurkacz’s return sailing beyond the baseline to confirm he will play the final on Sunday.
Follow all of the latest news and updates from Wimbledon right here
