Wimbledon: Lorenzo Musetti disappoints, Arnaldi and Zeppieri also out

Three painful defeats for Italian tennis in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament. After Lorenzo Sonego and Jannik Sinner’s victories against Faria and Nardi, respectively, came the eliminations of Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Arnaldi, and Giulio Zeppieri on Tuesday’s hot afternoon in London.

Musetti’s defeat is resounding: the Carrara-based tennis player, who recently entered the top 10 of the ATP rankings, was surprisingly beaten in four sets by Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili. The world number 7, who last year had made it all the way to the semifinals, paid for the precarious physical condition with which he presented himself at the tournament (he was injured in Paris) and was beaten in four sets with the partials of 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-1 by the world number 126. As many as 15 aces were scored by the rediscovered Georgian, who will face Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.

Anguish also for Matteo Arnaldi, who was beaten in three sets by Botic Van de Zandschulp with the scores of 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. The match had been suspended Monday night; the San Remo player was unable to regain the disadvantage.

Out went Giulio Zeppieri, bowed out in five sets by world number 144, Mochizuki of Japan. L’Azzurro was remounted after winning the first two sets and succumbed with the scores of 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 7-5 after 3 hours and twenty minutes of play. Too bad.