Navone Saves 11 of 12 Break Points to Oust Berrettini in Montreal

Eleven From Twelve: Navone's Break-Point Masterclass

Mariano Navone produced one of the most statistically remarkable defensive performances of the Montreal fortnight, saving 11 of 12 break points to defeat Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 at the National Bank Open. The result was both the Argentine's first career victory over the Italian and his first hard-court win in their head-to-head series, which had previously consisted entirely of clay-court encounters — all won by Berrettini.

That shift in surface was supposed to favour the Italian. Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist who possesses one of the most destructive serves in men's professional tennis, traditionally converts his advantages more effectively on the faster hard courts of North America. On Monday in Montreal, Navone found the answers at every crucial juncture, clinging to his own delivery with a tenacity that left Berrettini searching for a way through until the very end.

A Match of Momentum Swings

Navone began with authority, taking the opening set 6-3 with clean baseline hitting and disciplined court coverage. Berrettini responded in kind in the second, deploying his flat groundstrokes and a booming serve to level matters. The tiebreak — which the Italian won 7-5 — appeared to alter the psychological balance of the match, and Berrettini arrived at the third set with the initiative. Yet Navone re-established his control quickly, broke service twice and closed out a 6-3 decider to advance in three sets.

The match's decisive statistic was Navone's break-point save rate: 11 from 12 across three sets against a player whose serve regularly neutralises opponents before they can create danger. Each time Berrettini applied pressure on the Argentine's delivery, Navone found a way out — through a big first serve, a precise crosscourt winner, or simply by absorbing a long rally until his opponent's pace worked against him. Eleven successful escapes from twelve attempts is an extraordinary figure at Masters 1000 level.

Berrettini Falls Short Again at the Top Level

For Berrettini, the defeat continues a stretch in which he has been unable to string together the kind of deep run at Masters 1000 events that marked his peak years. The 30-year-old Italian, who has managed injury disruptions and inconsistency in recent seasons, had hoped the hard-court swing through North America would provide a platform for renewed momentum ahead of the US Open. An opening-round loss in Montreal, where he carried genuine expectation, is a setback he will need to absorb quickly.

His serve remained dangerous throughout — the tiebreak underlined its capacity to win tight moments — but Navone's defensive quality denied him the service breaks that might have ended the match earlier.

WTAWuhan: Chinese outsiders topple Eala and Cîrstea on opening days

Navone Advances into Hard-Court Contention

For Navone, the victory signals genuine improvement on hard courts. The 24-year-old from Buenos Aires has developed a reputation as a clay-court specialist, but his ability to neutralise Berrettini's serve in Montreal — reducing it to a single converted break opportunity across the entire match — suggests tactical and physical adaptations that make him a more complete player than his surface preferences imply.

He joins a group of South American players who have been quietly accumulating meaningful results at the highest level of the game this summer. His next opponent at the National Bank Open is yet to be confirmed, but a player who saves 11 of 12 break points against Berrettini is one who bears watching in the rounds ahead.

The Canadian Open presented by Rogers continues in Montreal through August 13.