After the first five games, no one inside Vienna’s Stadthalle would have guessed that only a fraction of this marathon match had been played. Cameron Norrie (GBR, No. 35) led Matteo Berrettini (ITA, No. 59) 4-1 and soon held four more break points, looking like the clear favorite—at least to take the opening set.

But then the momentum shifted. Berrettini broke back and forced a tiebreak, where he capitalized on his chances to edge Norrie 8-6.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with neither player giving an inch on serve—no break points on either side. Once again, it all came down to a tiebreak. Berrettini earned a match point at 9-8 but couldn’t convert, and Norrie fought back to claim the breaker 11-9.

The deciding set initially looked like a repeat of the second: both players dominant on serve until 4-4, when Norrie suddenly faltered. The Brit saved one break point at 15-40 but couldn’t fend off the second. Berrettini made no mistake from there, serving out confidently and converting his second match point to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Record still holds

It still wasn’t a record for matches played at the Stadthalle. In the 1999 final, Britain’s Greg Rusedski and Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer battled for a total of 3 hours and 41 minutes before Rusedski converted match point to seal a 6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory.