Italy: Rome tennis star Berrettini first Italian man to reach Australian Open semi-finals

Rome: Rome tennis ace Matteo Berrettini has become the first Italian man to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

The seventh-seed Berrettini beat France’s Gael Monfils in a five-set victory on Tuesday, making him one of the last four of the tournament.

On Friday Berrettini will face Spanish champion Rafael Nadal, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam win, for a place in Sunday’s final.

Last June the 25-year-old Berrettini also made sporting history by becoming the first Italian to reach the Wimbledon final which he lost to Serbian Novak Djokovic.

“It feels unbelievable (to be the first Italian), hopefully there will be a second one tomorrow with Jannik Sinner,” Berrettini said of his 20-year-old compatriot, who faces Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in a quarter-final on Wednesday.