PUNE/STARNBERG, February 2, 2022
Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti has returned to a quarterfinal on the ATP Tour for the first time since Lyon in May last year. The 19-year-old from Carrara fought past Aleksandar Vukic of Australia 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 in Wednesday’s second-round match at the Tata Open Maharashtra.
Musetti, second seed of the ATP 250 hard-court event being held at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune, India, struck nine aces and won 77 per cent of his first-service points to secure victory in two hours and three minutes.
1st quarter-final since last May 🙌
Musetti through to the #TataOpenMaharastra quarter-finals after defeating Vukic 7-6 3-6 6-3 pic.twitter.com/cWJMrs9mX0
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 2, 2022
“Aleksandar was playing good, he was serving really big and I tried to stay calm even in the second set, [which] I didn’t win. It didn’t go the way that I planned. But the third set was a really great set,” Musetti said.
“I stayed really focussed with the right attitude and I won a great match with a tough opponent. I’m really happy to be here and to be in the quarter-finals.”
The World No. 66 is pursuing his first ATP Tour title this week and will next take on Kamil Majchrzak of Poland, who defeated Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-3, 7-6(7) in one hour and 34 minutes.
In other action, Portuguese veteran Joao Sousa pulled an upset when he came from one-set down to record a stunning win against third-seeded Italian Gianluca Mager 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) to enter the quarterfinals. The 32-year-old Guimaraes native outpointed his rival 98-94 after two hours and 13 minutes.
Up next for Sousa will be No. 5 seed Daniel Altmaier of Germany, who also had to go the distance against Radu Albot from Moldova, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The encounter lasted two hours and 11 minutes.
