Matteo Berrettini gets unblocked on comeback in Roland Garros debut

Matthew Berrettini’s path to Roland Garros 2026 begins with a significant victory. A success was needed to get unstuck and banish anxieties and uncertainties for the Roman, who lost the first set today but then bounced back against Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics, winning 6-7 7-5 6-1 6-2 after three hours and nine minutes of play. In the next round, Berrettini will face Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, the No. 22 seed, in a match that could be played on one of the main courts of the Paris Slam.

In the first set, the trend followed the balance of the hitting turns. Berrettini faces a break point in the sixth game, but cancels it also thanks to a backhand error by the Magyar. It comes down to the tie-break, however, where Fucsovics takes control: the Hungarian is more solid, while Berrettini commits a few too many errors and surrenders 7-2. The key moment comes at the beginning of the second set. Berrettini saves three break points in a complicated game and from there the inertia of the match changes. The Italian becomes more solid on serve and it comes down to the 12th game, where he gets 0-40. He closes on the first set point, bringing home the partial 7-5 and re-establishing parity.

In the third set Berrettini starts very strong and immediately breaks his opponent on serve in the second game. Fucsovics has an immediate chance for a counterbreak, but the Italian reacts and rises from 15-40 holding a crucial game. In the sixth game came the double break after three break points, and the set closed 6-1 in his favor. In the fourth set Fucsovics momentarily goes back into the locker room, but the momentum is now all for Berrettini, who flies to 3-0 with a double break. The Hungarian tries to fight back and recovers one of the two breaks in the fourth game (3-2), but the Roman immediately pushes back and finds another break in the seventh game. He then closes 6-2 with an ace and a liberating scream.