After completing a serve-and-volley sequence with a winner on his third match point, Matteo Berrettini turned to his box and won. He knew he was on his way.Berrettini, who dropped out of the top 100 in May, shone on center court to knock out gifted Frenchman Arthur Fils, the 20th seed, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to storm into the third round of Wimbledon.The 30-year-old Italian, a Wimbledon 2021 finalist, has been fighting a long battle with his own body. He nailed 16 aces against the Phils and found his best level when it mattered most.“I played the match at a very high level. Arthur was also very good,” said Berrettini. “I had a little break in the match in the third set and then I started serving better in the fourth. I have so much confidence now. It’s been a long time since I played so many matches in Grand Slam tournaments, in Paris and here. It’s obvious that I had difficult moments in my career, but I’m happy, I’m smiling, I’m back.”Earlier, French Open champion Alexander Zverev defeated Valentin Royer 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in two hours and four minutes on Court No. 1.Defending champion Iga Swiatek looked like the player who lifted the title last year when her first try against Taylor Townsend was put aside as she cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 win over 2021 finalist Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the second round.
