By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Friday, July 26, 2024

Matteo Berrettini continues his red clay rise.

A streaking Berrettini scored his ninth straight win powering past Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-4 into his second straight final at the Kitzbuhel Tennis Club.

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It is Berrettini's second straight final coming a week after he captured his ninth career championship in Gstaad.

Today, Berrettini won 32 of 36 first-serve points, saved the lone break point he faced and clubbed 27 winners against six errors in a 90-minute victory.

The 2021 Wimbledon finalist improved his 2024 clay-court record to 14-1 with his lone loss on dirt coming to Miomir Kecmanovic at Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo in April.

Berrettini is now 9-0 in clay-court semifinals becoming the first Italian finalist in Kitzbuhel since Paolo Lorenzi won the title in 2016.



World No. 50 Berrettini, who defeated both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the Gstaad final, will face Frenchman Hugo Gaston in tomorrow's Kitzbuhel final.

The 91st-ranked Gaston held a 6-1, 2-0 lead when Argentinean opponent Facundo Diaz Acosta retired with a right leg injury.

It is Gaston's second final and first since he fell to Casper Ruud in the 2021 Gstaad final.

The left-handed Gaston will face Berrettini for the first time in a Tour-level match.