WATCH: Lorenzo Musetti starts on fire at the Hamburg Open
At the Hamburg European Open on Tuesday, defending champion Lorenzo Musetti got off to a strong start by easily defeating Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-1.
Musetti defeated Ymer while playing under cover in the ATP 500 clay court competition by combining cunning and strength.
After one hour and 16 minutes, the 21-year-old Italian won 76% (23/34) of his first-serve points and broke Ymer’s serve five times to win.
“It took a little bit to get the momentum going. It was not easy because the opponent was playing well, pretty aggressive from the beginning,” Musetti said. “In the end I think I found the right balance, the right rhythm. I have good memories from last year and I am really feeling good here.”
Musetti, who also won in Naples in October 2022, is vying for his third tour-level championship and first of the year.
The third seed will take on Jozef Kovalik in the second round after the Slovakian overcame Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6(6), 6-4.
The third seed defeated Carlos Alcaraz, who has skipped Hamburg after his Wimbledon triumph this year, in the final in Germany last term.
Musetti has a current 15-10 record on clay for the year. The ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona in April and the ATP 250 in Bastad last week saw the World No. 18 make his deepest runs of the year as he reached the last four.
Aside from that, Alexander Zverev also defeated Alex Molcan 6-0, 6-3 to record his 50th career victory over left-handed opponents at the tour level.
The fourth seed, a two-time semifinalist in Hamburg (2014, 2019), controlled the match for the whole one hour and 28 minutes and advanced without seeing a break point.
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Zverev increased his lead over Molcan to 3-0 in their head to head rivalry with his 29th tour-level victory of the year. After defeating fellow German wild card Rudolf Molleker 7-6(2), 6-2, Maximilian Marterer has booked a date with Zverev in the next round.
In his Hamburg debut, Frenchman Arthur Fils downed Colombian lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan 7-5, 7-5, breaking a four-match losing run.
After 1 hour and 45 minutes, the 19-year-old, who is presently in fourth place in the Next Gen Race, secured his 11th tour-level victory of the year. The winner of Lyon, Fils, will next face either Dusan Lajovic or Miomir Kecmanovic, the eighth seed.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain advanced as well after defeating Pedro Cachin of Argentina 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour, 57 minutes.
The seventh seeded Davidovich Fokina is playing in Hamburg for the third time; he advanced to the quarterfinals there in 2016.
The second round was also gained by home hope Yannick Hanfmann when Francisco Cerundolo was forced to withdraw with the German holding a 4-6, 6-2, 4-2 advantage.
