Lorenzo Musetti ended Billy Harri’s dream run with a straightforward 6-3, 7-5 victory on a sold-out Centre court at Queens today.
It was the first meeting between Harris and Musetti, largely because the Brit just has not featured enough on the main tour events. To demonstrate the gulf in experience on the ATP Tour between the two players, consider the career prize earnings of under $300,000 for Harris compared to almost £6m for Musetti. However, this week’s run at Queens has transformed Harris’s confidence and is surely a springboard for greater success even at the ripe old age of 29.
“I’m a little bit emotional right now, because it has been a tough year for me,” said Musetti, who fell to the floor after match point. “A lot of things changed, a lot of downs, not many ups. These two weeks have been amazing reaching the semis, I’m really proud of myself and my team and what we are achieving right now. We struggled a little bit, but in the life of sport, you have to suffer and try again and that’s what makes this win particularly special for me.”
Harris, who had a phenomenal serving performance dropping just seven points on his serve in the previous round taking out Giovanni Mpteshi Perricard in straight sets, was far below the numbers required to get past the talented Italian. Today he only won 63% of first serves and a desperate 27% of second serve points, as his 22-year-old opponent got far more balls back in court and tested him in all baseline exchanges.
Musetti, who also reached the semis of Stuttgart last week, broke early in the first to go 3-0 up and held throughout, and broke serve at five games all in the second. After a long rally and net exchange where his final forehand volley lingered in the air before dropping inside the court, Harris knew his time was up, looking dejected as he trudged back to his chair during the changeover.
“I started really well breaking him in his first game but at the end he was serving a really good percentage of serves and I found it hard. I always stayed focussed,” explained Musetti. “I saved breakpoints and I had a few where I missed my chance but at the end I didn’t shake. I probably served the best game of my tournament at the end so I’m really happy to be in the semis. Every round has been difficult against every opponent. The most important thing now is to rest and recover, try to get some sleep after a big win, it’s never easy as you have so much adrenaline. Hopefully tonight I will sleep a little cooler!”
In the day’s opening match, 30-year-old Jordan Thompson – who also beat Holger Rune earlier this week – put in an impressive display to beat an under-par fourth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 to reach an ATP 500 semi-final for the first time.
The pair had met once before with Fritz winning in straight sets on outdoor hard courts in Washington last year, but today he didn’t look his usual smooth self as his Australian opponent took full advantage of loose errors at critical moments.
“[My game was] very solid today,” said Thompson on court afterwards. “It’s probably one of the toughest tournaments in the world, so to come through to the semis is really pleasing – especially as I’ve had a rough run lately, so I’m glad to turn it around on the grass.”
The 30-year-old Thompson, who had benefited from a retirement after just five games from Andy Murray in the previous round, struggled in his opening service game with three double faults in a game taking nearly eight minutes. But thereafter he settled well and began to regularly wrongfoot the 6’ 5” American.
World number twelve Fritz was constantly looking towards his box for guidance as he missed regulation groundstrokes. He hit twelve unforced errors and managed no breakpoints and threw in a horrible game at the wrong time in the first set.
At four games all, he hit three inexplicable errors and conceded the break when he slipped while chasing a wide forehand. In the next game, world number 43 Thompson got himself out of trouble at 15-30 with a beautiful down the line backhand, and then when 40-30 up on set point, after he was pushed back off a strong Fritz return who then approached the net, Thompson still won the point with a forehand pass that clipped the top of the net and landed on the line.
Thompson hadn’t won a match since April until this week, but has now beaten two seeds on his way to the last four, and had no doubt that he is still improving at his age. “I’m getting old now, it’s my first semi of an ATP 500, but it just goes to show that if you stick at it long enough you can keep improving no matter how old you are and I feel like I’m getting better.”
