Ignacio Buse Triumphs Over Berrettini in Thrilling Marrakech Showdown
Bellucci, Muller, and Ugo Carabelli all progress at the ATP 250 clay-court event
March 31, 2026
Grand Prix Hassan II
Ignacio Buse achieves a career milestone at No. 59 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
By ATP Staff
In a spectacular display, Ignacio Buse has once again turned Matteo Berrettini into his personal battleground, claiming victory at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.
The seventh-seeded Peruvian fought valiantly to earn a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-4 win over Berrettini, moving into the second round of the clay-court ATP 250 on his debut. Following their thrilling encounter in Rio de Janeiro last month, Buse now holds an impressive 2-0 record against the former World No. 6 and 2024 Marrakech champion.
Peruvian lightning strikes twice ⚡ 🇵🇪
Buse prevails over Berrettini again, winning their second encounter in a three-hour Marrakech epic! #GrandPrixHassanII pic.twitter.com/bIKPJvCsl3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 31, 2026
“I felt really at ease out there today,” stated Buse. “The conditions are incredibly fast… Returning to clay after the U.S. swing feels fantastic. I’m thrilled with how I played against [Berrettini] and excited to move forward in the tournament.”
Berrettini fought back to level the match after a turbulent second set, which saw four breaks of serve, as noted by Infosys ATP Stats. Nonetheless, Buse was relentless in the deciding set, bringing an end to Berrettini’s five-match winning streak at the event.
Now competing at a career-high No. 59 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Buse will face off against Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the next round. Carabelli secured his spot by defeating qualifier Timofey Skatov with a score of 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4.
In other matchups, Mattia Bellucci narrowly defeated home wild card Reda Bennani with a scoreline of 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, setting up a clash with the top seed and reigning champion, Luciano Darderi. This marks their first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter, although Bellucci previously triumphed over Darderi in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open qualifying event.
Earlier in the day, 2023 Marrakech finalist Alexandre Muller commenced his title defense with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 victory against 19-year-old Italian Federico Cina, who qualified for the ATP 250 event through the PIF ATP Next Gen Accelerator program, which grants additional opportunities to promising new talent across various pathways.
Fifth seed Kamil Majchrzak and qualifier Marco Trungelliti also secured their spots in the next round. Majchrzak triumphed over Juan Manuel Cerundolo, winning 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3, while Trungelliti overcame Henrique Rocha with a score of 7-6(5), 6-2.
