Italian rising star Lorenzo Musetti claimed his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title after beating world number 89 Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5) after 1 hour and 58 minutes in Forlì. Musetti beat a total of six top 100 players in the past two weeks in Rome and Forlì.
Musetti earned his first break in the opening game of the first set. Monteiro broke back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Musetti broke again in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and earned his chance to serve for the first set at 5-3. Monteiro pulled the break back for the second time at love to draw level to 5-5 sending the first set to the tie-break. Musetti won the tie-break 7-2. Monteiro saved two break points in the fourth game and held serve to draw level to 2-2. Musetti fended off a break point to hold his serve after two deuces in the fifth game. Musetti took a 6-4 lead in the tie-break and sealed the win on his second match point.
Musetti won the Australian Open Junior title in 2019. This year he made a major breakthrough at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where he beat former top 10 players Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori en route to reaching the third round. This week Musetti beat four more top 100 players: Frances Tiafoe (world number 67), Andreas Seppi (world number 97), Lloyd Harris (world number 96) and Thiago Monteiro (world number 89) en route to winning the Forlì title.
Musetti is projected to rise more than 40 spots from world number 249 to a a career-high of world number 138. He is following in the footsteps of Jannik Sinner, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last year. Sinner became the youngest winner of three ATP Challenger titles in the same year since Richard Gasquet in 2003.
Musetti is the fifth youngest Italian champion in Challenger history. He is the third teenage winner this year at the age of 18 years and six months after Carlos Alcaraz and Tomas Machac.
Musetti began playing at the age of 4. His father Francesco is a marble producer. His mother Sabrina is a secretary. The only coach in his caree has been Simone Tartarini. Lorenzo considers his coach as his second father. Musetti lists New York as his favourite city on the tour. His favourite surface is clay. He has been inspired by Roger Federer. Outside the tennis court Musetti enjoys cinema (his favourite actor is Al Pacino) and other sports like football and basketball. He is a fan of NBA star Lebron James and football team Juventus.
“It’s a dream come true to win my first ATP Challenger title in Italy. I came very close to winning a Challenger title in Milan last year and in Trieste this year. I found the perfect condititions here in Forlì from the first day and I achieved my goal. I played against many top 100 players, but the key was to build on my week in Rome. I was nervous today and I managed the pressure well. I think I played a really good match. It was not easy, but I focused on every point and single detail that makes the difference. I dedicated this title to my family and to my team. Behind these good results there is a lot of hard work”, said Musetti.
