Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals in Chengdu

Lorenzo Musetti, world number 9, is in the semifinals of the ATP 250 on the cement of Chengdu: in the quarterfinals he beat Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, number 114, with a double 6-3 imn an hour and a quarter of play.

There were no less than four breaks in the first set, three in favor of Musetti: the 23-year-old from Carrara immediately went 2-0 up, got caught up at 2-2 but ran away again at 4-2 and then cancelled two balls for another counterbreak at 4-3 and then closed the partial at the second set-point.

A single break decides the second set instead: after saving three break points at 2-1 for Musetti, the first two of which were consecutive, Basilashvili gives up the serve at 4-3 and Lorenzo goes on to close out the match at the first match-point.

Musetti, who is the tournament’s No. 1 seed, will now face the winner between Japan’s Taro Daniel and Russia’s Kazakh Aleksandr Shevchenko.