Sinner’s rise was also a stimulus for all the other Italian players. Matteo - who was the star of the Davis Cup in Bologna - is a big fan of Jannik and the two champions faced each other at the second round of this year’s Wimbledon Championships playing a beautiful match.

Italy's Matteo Berrettini advanced to the second round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Thursday with a hard-fought 7-6 (9), 7-6 (6) victory over Australia's Christopher O'Connell in China.

The last time Matteo Berrettini featured at ATP Shanghai, he made the semifinals in 2019. Getting that sort of run this year isn’t impossible, but it will depend on how the Italian’s fragile physicality holds up.

In the Round of 16 of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships on September 27, 2024, Berrettini dropped his most recent match, falling 7-6, 0-0 (retired) against Arthur Fils. In the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (his last tournament), Rune was beaten in the semifinals by No. 24-ranked Fils, 6-7, 6-7.

Italy's Matteo Berrettini bounced back from the disappointment of an injury ending his Japan Open last week by squeezing past Christopher O'Connell 7-6, (9) 7-6 (6) in the Shanghai Masters first round on Thursday.

Their most recent meeting, at the Cincinnati Masters in August, saw Rune stage a comeback to defeat Berrettini after dropping the first set. Now, in Shanghai, the Italian player will seek to level the head-to-head series.

On Monday, Matteo Berrettini (No. 45 in the world) meets Christopher O’Connell (No. 79) in the Round of 128 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.O’Connell was most recently in action on

Matteo Berrettini (No. 45) will face Christopher O'Connell (No. 79) in the Round of 128 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, October 2. Watch tennis, other live sports and more on Fubo. Use our link to sign up for a free trial.