Lorenzo Musetti beat Otto Virtanen 6-3 6-2 in 1 hour and 25 minutes in his first match as a top 10 player to reach the third round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
Virtanen got through the qualifying round and beat Hamad Medjedovic in the opening round. Musetti held serve after two deuces in the first game of the opening set, but he missed a break point in the second game. Musetti earned a single break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead, as Virtanen made a drop shot error. Musetti held serve in the fifth and seventh games to open up a 5-2 lead and served for the set at 5-3. The Italian player held at love with a drop shot winner to close out the first set in 38 minutes.
Musetti held four service games in the second set. Virtanen won his first two service games before Musetti converted his third break point in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead after Virtanen made a backhand error.
Virtanen wasted game points and faced four break points in the seventh game to take a 5-2 lead. Musetti held at love with a service winner as he was serving for the win in the eighth game.
Musetti set up a third round match against world number 29 Brandon Nakashima.
“You could see the emotion of returning to the field in Rome, when you have so much desire do well. It’s not easy. I tried to prepare everything as best as I could. I did what I had to do and I am happy. The difficulty of this sport is to reconfirm yourself every week, celebrating the top ten in Rome is priceless and certainly this has made a little more nervous, but I will have the opportunity to make up fo it”, said Musetti
