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Matteo Berrettini earned the first double-bagel victory of his career at the Monte Carlo Masters, beating former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in just 49 minutes on Wednesday. For seventh seed Medvedev, it was also the first 6-0 6-0 loss he'd ever suffered. And Berrettini issued an apology immediately after the match - though it wasn't to his opponent.

Signing the camera after he booked his spot in the last 16, Berrettini wrote: "Scusa Carlo V". Commentators were confused by the message, and Mikey Perera joked: "Sorry Carlo. We'll have to find out who that Carlo is. It doesn't say sorry Daniil!"

But the current world No. 90 has now explained that he was apologising to Italian actor and screenwriter Carlo Verdone, who recently revealed that he was a big fan of Medvedev while appearing on Ale Cattelan's Supernova podcast.

The director even admitted that he had spoken to Berrettini about his admiration for the Russian's "lopsided" tennis. Medvedev and Verdone have since formed something of a friendship, and they stay in touch during matches.

So Berrettini knew that Verdone's loyalties would have been split during their second-round clash in Monte Carlo - especially after he demolished the world No. 10 in well under an hour. The wildcard told Sky Sports Italy: "The writing on the camera? It was for Carlo Verdone.

"I know he's a fan of mine, but Medvedev is his favourite player, so I don't know who he was rooting for today. That's why I apologised to him."

Berrettini found himself in a spot of bother very early on when he had to save two break points in his opening service game. But from there on out, he was unstoppable, and cruised to a double-bagel victory as Medvedev made too many errors and, at one point, slammed his racket to the ground seven times.

Afterwards, the former Wimbledon finalist said: "I think it was definitely one of the best performances of my life. I think I missed three shots in the whole match, and it's not easy, especially against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect, and my weapons were working pretty well.

"I risked a little bit in the first game, facing two break points. After that, I felt I was playing better. I didn't expect to win like that; it doesn't happen often, but at the same time, I kept my focus because I know that tennis is a tricky sport. One break, two breaks, it's not enough sometimes. I kept pushing, and I got the win."

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