Tennis: Bautista Agut beats Safiullin in Barcelona
he Spaniard, who is chasing his 12th ATP Tour crown this week, will meet seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the second round.
Matteo Berrettini beat Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 6-3 at Queen’s Club Championships on Friday to reach his third ATP Tour career semi-finals on grass.
The top-seeded Italian, who is currently No.9 in ATP Rankings, hit 13 aces and won 81 per cent (38/48) of his first-service points against Evans. He sealed the match in one hour and 40 minutes.
Berrettini will now play fourth seed Alex de Minaur on Saturday.
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Australian de Minaur defeated two-time winner Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in over two hours to advance to the semis. The 22-year-old won 73 per cent (22/30) of his second-service points and saved six of the seven break points he faced.
“I did not serve that well, but I was returning well and I just played better in the last few points of the tie-break,” Berrettini said after the match.
“After that, I felt more confident. The conditions were tough — windy and cold — so I took time to adapt a little bit. I am happy with my performance.”
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