Musetti vs Cecchinato: Italian derby in Umag between dreams and memories

Italian derby in Umag between Musetti and Cecchinato

After his incredible exploit in Hamburg, where he won his first ATP title, it is already time for a new big challenge for Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian, who is also fresh off his ATP best ranking – he currently occupies the number 31 position – overcame Slovenian tennis player Aljaz Bedene in the first round of the ATP 250 in Umag, and will now face compatriot Marco Cecchinato. The Palermo native, who came from the qualifiers, instead beat wildcard Mili Poljicak in the first round.

There is a precedent between these two players, and it is quite illustrious: the two faced each other last year at Roland Garros, where the tennis player from Carrara won, in the fifth and decisive set. It is precisely the Parisian slam that seems to bind the destiny of the two Azzurri: on Cecchinato’s side, the incredible feat in the 2018 edition, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and stopped only in the semifinals, is still indelible in everyone’s mind; on Musetti’s side, the feat he almost achieved against Novak Djokovic in the penultimate edition, where he showed the whole tennis world his tenical and physical qualities.

This will certainly be an interesting, exciting match with a bit of tension, as it should be regarding a derby. However, the very different state of form of the two players leads one to think of a fairly easy victory for Musetti, who said before the match, “It’s a friendly derby. We are really close friends. He is one of my best friends on the tour…. I’m happy to share the court with him and have fun with him in this challenge.”