17-year-old Lorenzo Musetti earns first Challenger win for 2002 generation
The 17-year-old Lorenzo Musetti has been among the most promising players born in 2002, focusing on a junior career in the previous three years and improving all the elements in his game to become one of the leading figures on that level. After losing in the title match at the US Open last September, the Carrara native who plays one-handed backhand went all the way at the Australian Open, saving a match point in the final against Emilio Nava in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 triumph in two hours and seven minutes, taking the thrilling tie break 14-12 to become the first Italian champion in Melbourne.
Lorenzo has won one Futures match so far, losing in the only Challenger match in Bergamo in February and entering this week's Sophia Antipolis Challenger at Mouratoglou with a wild card, facing the Egyptian Karim-Mohamed Maamoun in the first round. After an hour and 47 minutes, Lorenzo secured a 3-6, 6-1 6-2 triumph to claim the first win at this level and become the first player born in 2002 to achieve that. Despite losing the opening set, the Italian youngster played against only one break point in the entire encounter that cost him the opener before he shifted into a higher gear to dominate in set two and three and bring the victory home.
Maamoun managed to take just 16 points on the return in the last two sets and stood no chance against the talented teenager who will now face another Grand Slam junior champion Alexei Popyrin in round two. Musetti created two break points in the fifth game, wasting them both and suffering a break at 15 in the following game after a costly double fault that put his rival 4-2 up. Serving at 5-3, Karim-Mohamed held at 15 to secure the opening set, hoping for more of the same in the rest of the clash.
Lorenzo had other plans, though, stepping in set number two to sail through his service games and find the range on the return as well to leave the more experienced player far behind. He broke Maamoun at love in game two and once again in the fourth game when the Egyptian sprayed a backhand error. Musetti clinched the set with a hold in game seven and was now the favorite before the start of the decider, opening it with a break when Karim-Mohamed hit a double fault. Another double fault in the fifth game sent Musetti 4-1 up and he wrapped up the win with an ace at 5-2 for his first Challenger win and ATP points.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2CNW7Zi
No comments