Lorenzo Musetti beat Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-2 in 1 hours and 23 minutes on Manolo Santana Court at the Madrid Mutua Open to secure his spot in the top 10 for the first time his career. Musetti did not face any break points in the whole match.
Musetti has become the sixth Italian player in history to reach the top ten after Jannik Sinner, Adriano Panatta, Matteo Berrettini, Corrado Barazzutti and Fabio Fognini.
Musetti converted seven of his ten break points to improve to 3-1 in his four head-to-head matches. Musetti has scored a record of 17 wins to 3 defeats on clay since July. He won the Olympic bronze medal in Paris and reached the final at the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo.
Musetti earned an early break in the first game. The Italian player did not convert a break point in the third game and three more chances in the fourth game. Musetti did not convert a break point in the ninth game, but he served out the first set at love in the 10th game.
Musetti earned two break points in the third and seventh games and served out the win on his first match point.
“I played the best match of the season. I’m not surprised to be in the quarter-finals. I’m surprised with myself. After Monte-Carlo, something changed in myself, a positive click forward. That’s something I have been waiting for for a long time. I feel more secure on what I have to do on the court. Of course I can lose, but I have the attitude and mentality of a Top 10 right now, so I’m really happy about that”, said Musetti.
