Draper and Berrettini meet in the BOSS OPEN final

Up-and-coming Brit Jack Draper and two-time Stuttgart winner Matteo Berrettini (ITA) will face off in the final of the BOSS OPEN at Stuttgart's Weissenhof on Sunday.

Draper (ATP 40) won his semi-final against the American Brandon Nakashima (ATP 70) 6-3, 6-3. Draper was the man in control of the match right from the start on center court and secured the first set with breaks at 4-3 and 6-3. In the second set, the Brit was able to serve ahead, hitting 13 aces throughout the match and not conceding a single break point. For his part, he broke Nakashima to make it 4:2 and after 72 minutes he converted his first match point with an ace for a clear victory.

For Draper, it is the third ATP final of his career after Sofia 2023 and Adelaide at the start of the current season – though he has yet to win a tournament. It is already certain that Draper will be the new British number 1 for the first time from next Monday. He will also be the youngest British No. 1 since Andy Murray in 2009. "That was always a goal of mine and the fact that I've now achieved it makes me very proud." Alongside Murray, Draper is also the only British finalist in the tournament's history. "I will do my best in the final," promised Draper and also thanked the crowd: "There is such great support from the fans here, I really appreciate it." In general, Draper feels at home at Weissenhof: "It's nice to be at a tournament where there's also a clubhouse and you can feel at home. You are treated well here and there are so many fans and children."

Berrettini gets the better of Musetti

In the final, Draper will face Italy's Matteo Berrettini, who seems to be on his way back to the top after a number of injuries. In the all-Italian second semi-final, the 2019 and 2022 BOSS OPEN winner gave his 22-year-old compatriot Lorenzo Musetti no chance with a 6-4, 6-0 win, taking his Stuttgart record to 13-1 match wins.

The 28-year-old Roman took his opponent's serve for 2-1 in the first set and had his first set point at 5-3. However, Musetti was able to reduce the deficit to 4:5 on his own serve. Musetti was then unable to take advantage of three chances to re-break and Berrettini finally served out the set 6-4 with an ace.

In the second set, everything went in favor of the more experienced Italian right from the start, Berrettini did not allow his opponent a single game and ended the match after just 66 minutes with his first match point.

Thanks to the audience

"Of course, it's better when you win like this," said Berrettini with a smile after the match. "You need less strength and I've already played a lot of tennis this week." The Roman also knew why he feels so comfortable in Stuttgart: "It must be the air here. No, seriously: the fans here are incredible. I've had this support since my first appearance in 2019."

Berrettini had this to say about his opponent in the final: "I've never played against Jack, not even in training. I wish him all the best, but of course I will try to win."

The finals on Sunday

The finals at Weissenhof start on Sunday at 11 a.m. with the doubles final between Rafael Matos (BRA)/Marcelo Meto (BRA) and Julian Cash (GBR)/Robert Galloway (USA). The singles final between Jack Draper and Matteo Berrettini is scheduled not before 1 pm.