Lorenzo Musetti - The True Crown Prince of Tennis - A 1HBH-er?

Joseph_K said:
Lorenzo Musetti's strength of character was on display again on Saturday afternoon in Monte Carlo as he took on Alex de Minaur for a place in the final. As in his semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Italian lost the first set 1-6, but won the second to force a decider. In that final set Musetti led 5-3 with a break and served for the match at 5-4, but went down 0-40 and was broken to 15 as the Australian leveled the score at 5-all.

Almost inevitably the match ended on a tiebreak in which de Minaur led 2-0 before Musetti won seven of the last nine points for a memorable 1-6. 6-4, 7-6(4) win in 2 hours, 40 minutes. In tomorrow's final Musetti will face Carlos Alcaraz, who currently leads their head-to-head 3-1.
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Wasn't / isn't there a regular commenter here who repeatedly claimed that Musetti had no mental strength?
 
A comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win for Lorenzo Musetti against Otto Virtanen in second-round action at the Italian Championships in Rome on Friday. Musetti, the new world no. 9, is seeded no. 8 in Rome and will take on the no. 28 seed, Brandon Nakashima, in the third round. Their head-to-head is currently 1-1, with the American having won their last match, a four-set encounter at last year's U.S. Open.
 
Musetti spoke in his TCLive interview about wanting revenge for the US Open loss to Nakashima. He got it. Comfortably through and will face Medvedev on Tuesday.
 
Yes, a comfortable win, 6-4, 6-3, for Lorenzo Musetti over Brandon Nakashima in Rome on Sunday afternoon. The question now is, can the Italian beat Daniil Medvedev for a place in the quarter-finals? The Russian has won their two previous meetings, both of which were on a hard (cement) court.
 
The weather held up Lorenzo Musetti for several hours in Rome on Tuesday, but in the end nothing could prevent him from reaching the quarter-finals at his national tournament, not even the skill of his opponent, Daniil Medvedev. When the rains came, the Italian stood at match point in the tenth game of the second set. After the rains had gone, Musetti quickly won the next point and the match, 7-5, 6-4. In the last eight he will play either Alexander Zverev or Arthur Fils.
 
I just saw that he won. Well done! I don't know Fils at all but Zverev may or may not be too tough. The Big Z can be hot or cold.
 
I'm honestly really enjoying the run Musetti is on. Wouldn't mind if he knocked Z out, I think if his fh holds up he could challenge him on that side well. Does irk me that he can be that handsome with flow or a shorter cut tho shouldn't be allowed
 
A dazzling display of magical tennis from Lorenzo Musetti against Alexander Zverev in quarter-final action in Rome late on Wednesday night. The Italian was never so dangerous as when he was down, and in the first set he saved four set points with Zverev serving at 6-5 in a pivotal game. The Italian then ran away with the tiebreak. One break of serve, at 4-all, was enough for Musetti who then served out to 30 for a 7-6(1), 6-4 win.

The variety of shots, spins, slices, power, touch, defensive and offensive play from Musetti was a thing to behold. It was also clear that he believed he could win the match regardless of the score. He dug in when behind and outplayed Zverev whose game was colourless by comparison. If Musetti can play the same way in his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, he will be in with a chance of winning that match.
 
Joseph_K said:
A dazzling display of magical tennis from Lorenzo Musetti against Alexander Zverev in quarter-final action in Rome late on Wednesday night. The Italian was never so dangerous as when he was down, and in the first set he saved four set points with Zverev serving at 6-5 in a pivotal game. The Italian then ran away with the tiebreak. One break of serve, at 4-all, was enough for Musetti who then served out to 30 for a 7-6(1), 6-4 win.

The variety of shots, spins, slices, power, touch, defensive and offensive play from Musetti was a thing to behold. It was also clear that he believed he could win the match regardless of the score. He dug in when behind and outplayed Zverev whose game was colourless by comparison. If Musetti can play the same way in his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, he will be in with a chance of winning that match.
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Those set points saved to get the break back were extremely clutch.
 
Joseph_K said:
A dazzling display of magical tennis from Lorenzo Musetti against Alexander Zverev in quarter-final action in Rome late on Wednesday night. The Italian was never so dangerous as when he was down, and in the first set he saved four set points with Zverev serving at 6-5 in a pivotal game. The Italian then ran away with the tiebreak. One break of serve, at 4-all, was enough for Musetti who then served out to 30 for a 7-6(1), 6-4 win.

The variety of shots, spins, slices, power, touch, defensive and offensive play from Musetti was a thing to behold. It was also clear that he believed he could win the match regardless of the score. He dug in when behind and outplayed Zverev whose game was colourless by comparison. If Musetti can play the same way in his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, he will be in with a chance of winning that match.
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He was something to behold.
 
Joseph_K said:
A dazzling display of magical tennis from Lorenzo Musetti against Alexander Zverev in quarter-final action in Rome late on Wednesday night. The Italian was never so dangerous as when he was down, and in the first set he saved four set points with Zverev serving at 6-5 in a pivotal game. The Italian then ran away with the tiebreak. One break of serve, at 4-all, was enough for Musetti who then served out to 30 for a 7-6(1), 6-4 win.

The variety of shots, spins, slices, power, touch, defensive and offensive play from Musetti was a thing to behold. It was also clear that he believed he could win the match regardless of the score. He dug in when behind and outplayed Zverev whose game was colourless by comparison. If Musetti can play the same way in his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, he will be in with a chance of winning that match.
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Wonderful post, thank you! I watched it on replay and was SO impressed with Musetti. Dazzling display is exactly right. WOW!
 
Joseph_K said:
A dazzling display of magical tennis from Lorenzo Musetti against Alexander Zverev in quarter-final action in Rome late on Wednesday night. The Italian was never so dangerous as when he was down, and in the first set he saved four set points with Zverev serving at 6-5 in a pivotal game. The Italian then ran away with the tiebreak. One break of serve, at 4-all, was enough for Musetti who then served out to 30 for a 7-6(1), 6-4 win.

The variety of shots, spins, slices, power, touch, defensive and offensive play from Musetti was a thing to behold. It was also clear that he believed he could win the match regardless of the score. He dug in when behind and outplayed Zverev whose game was colourless by comparison. If Musetti can play the same way in his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, he will be in with a chance of winning that match.
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So of his backhand rips reminded me of Wawrinka, Muscletti will carry the torch forward for the 1 HBH'ers. The crown prince now!
 
The cool thing about Moose is he has the full compliment of shot shaping and technique on the one hander. He can slice just about as well as Evans or Dimitrov, arc/shape with topspin like Gasquet, but also switch to a flatter drive like Wawrinka or Thiem. His typical topspin stroke most often produces a middle ground between a Gasquet and Wawrinka type ball flight, which I'd argue is a great balance, but he can definitely lean towards extremes as necessary.

And his racquet setup being a middle ground in several ways between all those guys probably helps with that (PT348.1 – slightly softer, more direct-feeling Extreme Tour (now Pro) and a supposed spec of 345g (strung), 32cm (strung) and 317sw, which I can only presume is unstrung, making strung SW probably 347-ish, per ATP stringer Pier Paolo Melis in this article, but I'd be curious for a @dr325i confirmation, or otherwise...). If true, then about 90% of Guga's weightings and a bit more head-light (Guga used a Pro Tour 630 at a strung spec of 348g/33cm/349sw). The main issue is static weight might be a bit light for enough stability on returns, but in trade he gets easier baseline mechanics, so somewhat of a wash, as he certainly seems to use it well enough, at least lately.
 
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Lorenzo Musetti has made an excellent start to this year's French Open by winning his first two matches in straight sets. On Sunday last the Italian, who is seeded no. 8, beat the German Yannick Hanfmann 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 in the first round, while earlier today he beat the Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-0, 6-4. In the third round Musetti will take on Mariano Navone, whom Musetti beat last year at the Olympic Games, also in Paris, having lost to the Argentine a few weeks earlier in their only previous meeting, in the final of the Challenger tournament in Cagliari.
 
On Sunday evening in Paris, Lorenzo Musetti takes on Holger Rune for a place in the quarter-finals at the French Open. The two players have met twice before and the Dane has won both encounters, but today’s meeting will be their first on clay. On Friday, Musetti overcome a slow start to beat Mariano Navone in four sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

The Italian has been busy off court too, as he and his partner Veronica recently announced that they are soon to be parents for the second time. They already have a child together, a son called Ludovico.
 
The first time Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz met at ATP level was in the final in Hamburg three years ago, when the Italian won a memorable three-set match. Since then the same two players have met five more times, with the Spaniard winning on each occasion, including three times on clay, at the French Open in 2023 and in Monte Carlo Rome earlier this season. Alcaraz has been in excellent form so far in Paris and beat Tommy Paul for the loss of only five games in the quarter-finals, so Musetti will have to play better than he has ever played before if he is to reach his first major final tomorrow.

On Sunday night the Italian played a tactically brilliant match of varied tennis to defeat Holger Rune 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Dane stayed close to Musetti in the first two sets, but in the last two his game, particularly his backhand, looked average compared to the Italian’s and Rune was at times left throwing his arms in the air in frustration at his inability to stop the flow of brilliance coming from the other side of the net.

On Tuesday of this week Musetti made a good start to his quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe, while the American made a poor start. In the second set Tiafoe began to play better and made good use of the drop shot. The third set was crucial and there Tiafoe wobbled when serving at 5-6. Musetti broke him then and in the second game of the fourth set as he moved towards a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory. At times the Italian looked as if he was still recovering from his fourth-round match against Holger Rune, which ended at midnight on Sunday. Tomorrow the Italian should be well rested before he takes on Carlos Alcaraz. He will need to be.
 
speedysteve said:
That is a weird and wonderful parallel universe sort of feeling(y)
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It's actually the ultimate storyline if you think about it. Musetti is the only guy left in the draw who doesn't have a major title. He would have to go through either the two best players of his era, or one of them + the hardware GOAT.

It would be the ultimate David vs Goliath saga, unlike anything in recent memory
 
Lorenzo Musetti returns to action on Tuesday when he takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili in first-round action at Wimbledon. The Italian has been undergoing intensive therapy and rehabilitation following the leg injury which forced him to withdraw from the semi-finals of the men’s singles event at the French Open more than two weeks ago. Due to his good form on the clay, he is seeded no. 7 at Wimbledon. His head- to-head with Basilashvili is currently 1-1, but they haven't played each other in nearly three years.
 
Since reaching the semi-finals at the French Open in early June, Lorenzo Musetti has gone 1-3 in singles in his last three tournaments. However, as a wise person once said, "There's always the doubles." Early on Saturday, at the Western and Southern Open Masters Series 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, Musetti and his fellow Italian and fellow Lorenzo, Signor Sonego, reached the men’s doubles final by beating the British pair of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury. The final score was 4-6 6-3 13-11 and in the super tiebreak that ended the match the Italians saved one match point at 10-11 after squandering five of their own, including four in a row at 9-5. In Sunday's final the two Lorenzos will take on the Croat Nikola Mektic and the American Rajeev Ram in a match between two unseeded pairs.
 
Earlier on Saturday Lorenzo Musetti reached the fourth round of the men’s singles event at the U.S. Open for the first time after his compatriot Flavio Cobolli retired with the score 6-3, 6-2, 2-0 in Musetti's favour. Cobolli had been taken to five sets in the previous round by Jenson Brooksby, while Musetti had defeated David Goffin 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. Not surprisingly, Musetti was the much fresher player today. He played some characteristically beautiful and dazzling tennis, mixing power and touch in that very natural way of his, and for most of the match looked like the player he was during the first half of this season.

It was a pity that Cobolli had to retire because there were some spectacular rallies during the curtailed match. In the next round Musetti, the no. 10 seed, will take on the unseeded Jaume Munar. The Spaniard currently leads their head-to-head 2-1 and won their most recent encounter, in Hong Kong at the beginning of this year.
 
Rosstour said:
Shapo and Grigor have showed there is a way. It helps to have a 1H and a great slice.
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Those two above have much more effective serves than Musetti, especially Dimitrov in the last Wimbledon consistent dishing out 130-140 mph bombs.

Plus, both have better FH than Musetti. FH-to-FH battles between Moose and Sinner won’t be fun for the former.
 
Lorenzo Musetti is currently no. 8 in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin, but several other players are at his heels, so the Italian is not certain to qualify, even with only a few weeks to go until the end of the season. Late on Thursday, Musetti kept his hopes of qualifying alive by beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Austrian Indoors tournament in Vienna. In the last eight the Italian will take on the dangerous Corentin Moutet. Earlier this year Musetti won their only previous encounter, on clay in Buenos Aires.
 
A confident performance from Lorenzo Musetti against Corentin Moutet in quarter-final action in Vienna on Friday night. The Italian won 6-3, 6-4 and on Saturday will face Alexander Zverev for a place in the final. Musetti currently leads their head-to-head 3-1 and has won their last three encounters.
 
Joseph_K said:
A confident performance from Lorenzo Musetti against Corentin Moutet in quarter-final action in Vienna on Friday night. The Italian won 6-3, 6-4 and on Saturday will face Alexander Zverev for a place in the final. Musetti currently leads their head-to-head 3-1 and has won their last three encounters.
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That last sentence sounds very strange

Best of luck to him tomorrow. I’ll be watching
 
Lorenzo Musetti was rather overwhelmed by the power of Alexander Zverev in their semi-final in Vienna yesterday. The German got 83% of his first serves in and also won the point 83% of the time when he did so. Musetti was unable to generate a single break point in the match and was himself broken once in each set as Zverev recorded a 6-4, 7-5 win. The Italian is still in with a chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin in two weeks' time. He has been seeded no. 7 for next week's Master Series 1000 tournament in Paris and would face Zverev, the no. 3 seed, again if they were both to reach the quarter-finals.
 
Muchete on a collision course with Djoko at the DjokOpen @Hitman

Could be one of the sneaky best matches of the year if they meet in the Final

One match in the way for Musetti, another favorite of mine in Seb Korda. Don’t think he has what it takes to bring Lore Atreides back to earth at this time.
 
Rosstour said:
Muchete on a collision course with Djoko at the DjokOpen @Hitman

Could be one of the sneaky best matches of the year if they meet in the Final

One match in the way for Musetti, another favorite of mine in Seb Korda. Don’t think he has what it takes to bring Lore Atreides back to earth at this time.
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It should happen and I think it will be a barnburner.
 
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