US Open: Lorenzo Musetti dispels Opelka taboo and flies to second round, out goes Luciano Darderi
US Open: Lorenzo Musetti in second round, Luciano Darderi eliminated
Lorenzo Musetti dispels the tabù Reilly Opelka. After losing the first three rounds without winning a single set, the Carrara native è redeemed himself in a big way by triumphing in his debut match at the US Open with a score of 7-6 1-6 6-1 7-5 in nearly three hours of play.
In the first set the two players manage to be very effective on serve and not concede break balls. The first opportunities came in the seventh game for the Blue, but the American was able to cancel them. At the tie-break, however, Musetti managed to place the decisive stretch at 5-2 and close the score at 7-3.
In the second partial è the winner of the Bronze medal in Paris 2024 who first gives up the serve. Opelka, in fact, placed the break in the fourth game, repeated in the sixth and then easily closed the set on 6-1.
In the third act è the American to drop in intensity, with the Italian winning the four consecutive games taking an immediate 4-0 lead. The American tried to get back into the match, but the Carrara native did not let himself be surprised and made the set his own 6-1.
The fourth partial è a real seesaw of emotions, as Opelka flew away in the score at 5-2. At that point the St. Joseph native has a real blackout, as he first fails as many as five set points then suffers the comeback of Musetti, who regains parity and subsequently breaks the American in the 11th game, thus winning the match.
Ending in the first round, however, is the adventure of Luciano Darderi, who è was defeated in four sets by Argentina's Sebastian Baez with a score of 6-4 6-7 6-0 7-6, after just over three and a half hours of play. The Italian player leaves the U.S. Open with the regret of not being able to take advantage of the two chances he had in the fourth set to confirm the break and extend the match to the fifth.
In the next round, Lorenzo Musetti will face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
