Lorenzo Musetti also clears second hurdle and sets new goal

Lorenzo Musetti has passed the third round of the Internazionali d’Italia and qualifies for the round of 16: the Carrara-based tennis player beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(7), 6-4, thus continuing his journey in Rome with one goal in mind, that of equaling, if not improving on, his best result in the capital, reaching the semifinals.

The match is well-balanced in its opening stages: Cerundolo is the first to give a break, leading 5-3 in the first set, but Musetti reacts like a champion and with a three-games-to-zero lead, winning among other things two on his opponent’s serve, he leads 6-5. Cerundolo makes a counterbreak that is worth the dispute of the tie-break but Musetti, who after wasting a set point manages to cancel one to the Argentine, closes the accounts on 9-7 thanks to the second mini-break in favor.

In the second fraction Cerundolo also puts great pressure on the Azure, leading after an initial break on 2-1. Musetti, however, immediately evened the score before flying into the final, backed by the home crowd. Three match points are needed to close the accounts, the decisive one arriving after two hours and fourteen minutes of play.

Lorenzo Musetti’s next opponent is another tennis player who, like him, is trying to re-emerge after a difficult period due to injuries: in fact, it will be Casper Ruud who will contend a place among the best eight to the Carrarino, thanks to his 6-3, 6-4 success against Jiri Lehecka in his own match valid for the third round of the Internazionali d’Italia.

Of the other matches on Sunday afternoon, of note was the doubles defeat for Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Sonego, who already in the first round had to surrender to Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz: 6-3, 6-2 the score, after sixty-three minutes on court.