Lorenzo Musetti one win away from epic rankings breakthrough ahead of Carlos Alcaraz showdown
Jannik Sinner may be absent from the Monte Carlo Masters, but Italy will still have a finalist after Lorenzo Musetti secured another emotional win in an epic semi-final.
Musetti ended the title defence of three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final and now he has gone one better after a thrilling win against Alex de Minaur saw him book a place in the final against Carlos Alcaraz.
If he finds a way to beat the French Open champion in what will be the biggest match of his life, Musseti will break into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
With the rain occasionally falling during the match, Musetti responded well after losing the opening set and fought back to secure a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory.
“I always struggle to start and find a rhythm but today Alex was playing really solid and the conditions were hard. It was slow today with the rain and it was not easy to break through the Alex wall. I started to be more patient and that was the key,” said Musetti.
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“The confidence you get from winning is something that you have to experience to believe. It is something really remarkable, sharing these beautiful moments with my friends and family. It is my home and I feel at home.
“At the beginning of the week, I was of course dreaming to be in final and to have the chance to play for the top 10, for the title, for a lot of things. I will think about the game plan and all the emotions. I need to be ready.
“I rediscovered my more warrior-like version. I stepped onto the court with a winning mentality that I hadn’t had in the most important matches of my career before.”
Musetti has a win on his record against Alcaraz and it did come on a clay court in Hamburg back in 2022.
Since then, Alcaraz has won their last three encounters, with the most recent coming in Miami last year, as the Spaniard recorded a straight sets win.
Musetti is already up to No 11 in the live ATP Rankings and he will have a chance to break into the top ten over the next few weeks, even if he comes up short against Alacarz.
Alacarz is relishing the challenge as he looks to win his first ATP Masters 1000 tournament since Indian Wells in March 2024.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to win a title on clay and I can’t wait to try my luck again here,” the 21-year-old said.
“I just had to be patient and believe that this moment was going to come again.
“Sometimes the people are not patient, they want me to make the final in every tournament.
“I have missed clay. It is good to play the drop shot and it is a shot I use a lot and feel comfortable using. In matches like this I won almost every drop shot I hit and it gives me more confidence.”
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