ATP Tour

Zverev after latest Berrettini win: 'I feel different this year'

Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini renewed their long-running rivalry on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open, where fourth seed Zverev produced a big-hitting display to reach the third round.

The German struck 19 winners to just 11 unforced errors and did not face a break point in the match, winning 82 per cent of his second serve points en route to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in Indian Wells.

Zverev leads Berrettini 5-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with this the World No. 4’s first win against the Italian since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, an event Zverev won. Following his 71-minute triumph, the fourth seed will next meet Brandon Nakashima or Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

"I am very happy with the performance," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "Against Matteo, it is very difficult. I lost the past two matches against him. I have struggled in Indian Wells before, but I feel different this year. Hopefully, it is going to be a different result and it was a good start."

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Zverev is a seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion but has never triumphed in Indian Wells. The 28-year-old’s best result in the Californian desert was quarter-final showings in 2021 and 2024, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Earlier this year, the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open.

"He is somebody that is extremely aggressive, massive forehand, massive serve," Zverev said of Berrettini. "When you back off a little bit, it is very difficult against him, but today I thought I was the one pushing, I was the one being aggressive."

Zverev could face 15th seed Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round. The Italian moved past Miomir Kecmanovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to continue his red-hot recent run, having won his third tour-level title last week at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco.

Cobolli, competing at a career-high No. 15, dug deep after losing the first set and produced a brilliant serving display in the decider, winning 13 of his 14 first-serve points. The 23-year-old will play Frances Tiafoe or Jenson Brooksby in the third round. Cobolli has fond memories of playing Tiafoe after defeating the American in the recent Acapulco final.