Thompson acknowledged before Monday's match how Berrettini had "broken Australian hearts" in the Davis Cup semi-finals earlier this year with his win over Thanasi Kokkinakis.
But this time Thompson warmed the hearts of the Brisbane fans with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win at Pat Rafter Arena.
Berrettini, a 2021 Wimbledon finalist, was slick in the opening set.with his service game on song.
He broke the Australian just once where his low, sliced backhands proved tough to return.
The duo shared service breaks early in the second set before Thompson displayed shrewd tactics.
On break point in the sixth game, the receiving Thompson stayed a long way behind the baseline, a move that appeared to confuse the Italian as he put a shot into the net.
Thompson then served two aces at 30-all to take a 5-2 lead. Two games later he served out for the set to take the match into a decider.
The contest ramped up in quality and intensity in the final set with a suite of longer points. Berrettini served a double fault to give Thompson the break in the fifth game as his crafty positional movements while receiving paid dividends.
The 30-year-old did not relinquish his grip on the match.
Eighth-seed and world No.26 Thompson beat Rafael Nadal in the most recent Brisbane tournament, which kick-started a stellar year for the 30-year-old which included his first ATP Tour win at the Los Cabos Open.
Thompson and Berrettini had not met on court since the 2019 US Open when the Italian triumphed in four sets.
The last Australian scheduled to appear on Pat Rafter Arena on Monday was Nick Kyrgios alongside doubles partner Novak Djokovic, up against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies.
Djokovic skipped the year-ending ATP Finals after a season that included knee surgery and yielded Olympic gold but no tour titles.
Kyrgios didn't compete at all this year and completed just one professional tennis match in 2023 as he struggled with wrist, knee and foot injuries.
His last grand slam match was a quarter-final loss to Karen Khachanov at the US Open in 2022, having made and lost the Wimbledon final to Djokovic earlier that year.
'It should be fun': Djokovic says looks forward to teaming with Kyrgios. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)
"We talked about playing doubles at Wimbledon (this year) actually ... when we practised," Djokovic said.
"We joked around and ... I didn't expect it to be so early already but it's great."
The duo will both likely begin their singles campaigns on Tuesday, with Djokovic to face Australian Rinky Hijikata and former Brisbane champion Kyrgios up against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Perricard.
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