Lorenzo Musetti, winning debut at Australian Open: now derby with Lorenzo Sonego

Lorenzo Musetti debuts with a win at the Australian Open. The world and seeded number five took advantage of the withdrawal of Raphael Collignon, number 72 in the ATP rankings, who raised the white flag due to physical problems after a little more than three hours of play on the score of 4-6 7-6 7-5 3-2 in favor of the Azzurro. After losing the first set due to a break suffered in the fateful seventh game, the Carrara native, ahead 5-3 in the second partial, let himself be taken back by his opponent, but regained lucidity in the tie-break, won 7-3.

In the third set Lorenzo also went down by a break (2-4) but found the strength to come back, thanks in part to Collignon’s conspicuous physical decline, stringing together five of the last six games of the partial. In the fourth set, the Carrarino found the break at zero in the fifth game before the Belgian decided to retire. “Big applause to Collignon, who really played a great match – said the Azure at the end of the match ’I wish him well as soon as possible. I struggled to find my rhythm, missing many easy shots especially on the forehand side”.

“I didn&#8220t find the right feeling, but I kept fighting and after a complicated second set I raised the level and started playing better and better– continued the Carrara player. Towards the end I realized he was struggling and maybe I focused a little bit’ too much on him. The year started very well for me with two finals. Being in the top 5 is a great achievement, however, it is a starting point, not a finishing point. Ambitions are very high, I am doing everything I can to improve further”.

Musetti thus flies to the second round where he will face Lorenzo Sonego in an all-Italian derby. The Turin native, number 40 in the world rankings, left no chance to Carlos Taberner, number 99 in the ATP rankings, imposing himself with a clean 6-4 6-0 6-3 after one’hour and three quarters of play.

Sonego won the second round.

Sonego placed a surgical break in the ninth game of the first partial, before closing it out on serve. After dominating the second set, l’Azzurro immediately went ahead in the third partial as well but the Spaniard took it back at 3-3. From here, however, Lorenzo won the last three games giving himself the gift of a derby with Musetti.