Another setback for Matteo Berrettini

The path of Matteo Berrettini at the Buenos Aires ATP 250 was interrupted in the second round. The Italian, number 58 in the ranking and veteran, in the previous match, of a victory against home athlete Federico Coria, was defeated by Czech Vit Kopriva, number 95 ATP, with a score of 6-4 6-3 in a match that lasted one hour and 35 minutes. For Berrettini, often struggling on serve and unable to find continuity in the key moments of the match, it&#8217s another disappointment in this 2026 that started badly, with the injury that had prevented him from playing the Australian Open.

The first set was balanced on the hitting turns, but Berrettini took a big risk as early as the eighth game, conceding a break point then narrowly missed. In the 10th game, however, the Roman gave up after canceling three set points: an error at the net on the fourth opportunity handed the partial to Kopriva. In the second set, the Italian had two break points in the third game but failed to exploit them, while the Czech tennis player maintained solidity and precision in the decisive moments, thus going on to win.

Francesco Lucivero

The defeat thus came just twenty-four’hours after Berrettini, who had beaten Coria in his debut with a double 7-5, in his first match after several weeks off the official circuit and after forfeiting the Australian Open due to abdominal problems. The Argentine tournament represented the first match of the 2026 season for the’former world No. 6, but he showed he is still a bit rusty from the few matches played since November.

Despite the elimination, the balance cannot be said to be totally negative: physical condition is still to be built, but returning to the court after yet another long stop is already an encouraging sign. For Berrettini now the goal is to regain rhythm and confidence in view of the upcoming engagements, with the stated goal of moving up as many positions as possible in the ranking.

The last tournament Berrettini won at the individual level remains that of Kitzbühel, on clay, in July 2024. Last year, however, the Roman made a major contribution to Italy&#8217s third consecutive Davis Cup success, with performances that, along with those of Flavio Cobolli, had made Jannik Sinner&#8217s absence forgotten.