MONTE-CARLO/WASHINGTON, April 12, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
When Lorenzo Musetti secured match point to defeat defending champion Stefano Tsitsipas and advance to his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Friday evening, the Italian’s special homecoming week in Monaco got even more special.
The World No. 16 and 13th-seeded Musetti was visibly emotional, no doubt thanks to his triumph over the World No. 8 Tsitsipas from Greece. He bent over at the waist and covered his face with his left hand, wiping back a tear or two. Then, he looked toward his team and smiled as he raised a clenched right fist. The crowd that filled Court Rainier III at the Monte-Carlo Country Club showered him with heartfelt applause and Musetti reciprocated with some hand clapping of his own.
The release. The euphoria. The moment.
Soak it all in, @Lorenzo1Musetti @ROLEXMCMASTERS | #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/oPRpFLC8Ur
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 11, 2025
The 23-year-old Carrara native, who resides in Monaco with his partner and young son, had been 0-5 against the three-time Monte-Carlo champion, including 0-4 on clay. Now, after defeating the sixth-seeded Greek star, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in two hours and 21 minutes, it put Musetti in the position to join Great Britain’s Jack Draper (Indian Wells) and Jakub Mensik of Czechia (Miami) as first-time ATP Masters 1000 champions.
However, Musetti will need to defeat World No. 10 Alex de Minaur of Australia in Saturday afternoon’s semifinal round. Then, if he does, the bronze medalist from last year’s Paris Olympics would face either World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain – who won the Paris Olympics silver medal – or 42nd-ranked Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Sunday’s title match.
First thing’s first and that’s celebrating Musetti’s quarterfinal conquest of Tsitsipas, 26, who was appearing in his fifth-straight Monte-Carlo quarterfinal and had won the ATP Masters 1000 event three of the last four years (2021, 2022 and 2024). Among the statistics that pop out from the Musetti-Tsitsipas tussle is this one: the Italian No. 2 saved 14 of 17 break points he faced. In the final set, alone, he erased four break points at 1-2. Soon after, Tsitsipas double faulted down break point at 3-all after his serve had all but abandoned him.
Off the charts #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/fgcwjiURgJ
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 11, 2025
Afterward, during his on-court interview, Musetti revealed this after earning his ninth career Top-10 win, in which he lost his composure after being drubbed in the opening set, then found his confidence in the final two sets: “Today was a really tough match. I knew that before today I never beat him and we played five times. Especially on clay – especially here – I knew against a three-time champion, definitely not an easy job today,” he said.
“I found a way and I was increasing my level during the whole match. So, [I’m] really, really happy and proud of this win.”
Throughout, Musetti utilized a deep return position that seemed to neutralize Tsitsipas’s offensive attack throughout the match. In a battle of one-fisted backhanders, Musetti mixed power and precision with the element of an occasional surprise: an effective drop shot. When the match was over, Musetti had finished with 23 winners against 32 unforced errors, compared to 24 winners and 45 unforced errors by Tsitsipas. He outpointed Tsitsipas 96-91.
At the conclusion of the quarterfinal, with victory secured, a tearful Musetti hugged his team – including coach Simone Tartarini – at court side. Then, he hugged and kissed his longtime partner, Veronica Confalonieri. All was well in Musetti’s world. Always a romantic, he confessed: “It’s really beautiful to cry together and win together. It’s really nice.”
Emotional moments for Lorenzo Musetti and those closest to him ❤️ #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/q9VGeH2BhF
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 11, 2025
