Is Turin impossible? Musetti allows himself to dream in Vienna | ATP Tour

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Is Turin impossible? Musetti allows himself to dream from Vienna

The Italian survives Zverev to reach the Vienna semifinals

October 25, 2024

Lorenzo Musetti is determined to bring excitement to the last point of the 2024 season. The Italian reached the semifinals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna this Friday, unleashing his talent to write one of the most exciting victories of the year. In the neutral conditions of the Austrian deck, the imagination of one of the most unique talents on the ATP Tour continues to shine.

The No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings prevailed in one of the week’s duels, defeating top seed Alexander Zverev 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the penultimate round of the tournament. The one from Carrara completed an effort of resistance, coming back from 0-3 in the tiebreak of the second set to survive in a match where he had defeat two points away.

“The match didn’t start as we had planned. I struggled to find rhythm with my forehand and variety with my backhand,” said Musetti, who now leads the Lexus ATP Head2Head record 2-1 over the German. “But I stayed firm. Even when I came back in the second set, I saved a lot of breaking points at 5-5. It’s a match that means a lot to me.”

“It’s a great victory [en mi carrera]because Sascha loves to play here, on this court, with these conditions,” said Musetti after defeating the German, champion in the 2022 edition. “But after the first round I felt in good shape, today I showed it.”

Musetti wants to extend a season of strong emotions, where he has shown his perseverance in search of glory. The Italian, who reached three ATP Tour finals on three different surfaces (Queen’s, Umag, Chengdu) and won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games, will try to compete for his first trophy of 2024 on the Vienna deck.

The one from Carrara will have to overcome the obstacle of Jack Draper in the semifinals, winner 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 against the inspired Czech Tomas Machac. In a stellar season, during which he lifted his first trophy in Stuttgart and reached the semifinals of the US Open, Draper achieved his best historical position as No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Although it may seem complicated, Musetti keeps alive the hope of competing at home in the Nitto ATP Finals at the end of the season. With that possibility on the horizon, the Italian appears as No. 16 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with room to close the gap this week.

In addition, the Italian has loaded the calendar in the final stretch of the season conscientiously. After the event in Vienna, where he already has the cup two steps away, Musetti will attend the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy and appears as one of the main seeds in the ATP 250 in Belgrade, leaving the options open for a great feat at the end of the year.

Zverev ends his participation in Vienna by gaining pace on the indoor track. The German, who has already booked his ticket to compete in the Nitto ATP Finals, is trying to maintain the form that led him to win the season finale tournament in 2018 and 2021.

Did you know that…?
Lorenzo Musetti aspires to become the second Italian tennis player to lift the individual crown of the Erste Bank Open. The one from Carrara can follow in the footsteps of the current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, champion under the cover of Vienna last season. In a tournament with more than 50 years of history, Gianluca Pozzi (1992) is the other compatriot who managed to reach the final of the Austrian ATP 500.