Carlos Alcaraz beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 7-6 (4) despite a fervent local crowd to book his spot in the Italian Open final. The world No.3, who previously dispatched Britain’s Jack Draper in the quarter-finals, capitalised on an early break to confidently claim the first set in just shy of an hour.
Despite the challenging windy conditions and the enthusiastic support for Musetti at Campo Centrale, Alcaraz managed to regain composure after initially faltering in the second set. Musetti, who had lost to Alcaraz in last month’s Monte Carlo Masters final, quickly gained a 3-1 lead with two breaks. Alcaraz demonstrated resilience, breaking back to level the score at 4-4 and then maintaining his serve, putting pressure on Musetti to keep the match alive.
Musetti, having ousted Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Alexander Zverev en route to the semi-finals, held on to push the match into a tie-break. Yet, it was Alcaraz’s superior strength and precision that clinched the victory, as he secured the win with a stunning cross-court forehand on his second match point.
“Today was a really difficult day with the conditions, the wind was tough to play with,” Alcaraz admitted to the ATP Tour website.
“It wasn’t about playing brilliant, spectacular tennis. It was about playing smart tennis, playing solid, going to the point when you can, and waiting for the chance to play aggressively.
“I think I did that pretty well, I stayed strong mentally when things didn’t go to my side.”
Alcaraz is set to take on either Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who is making a comeback after a three-month doping suspension, or American Tommy Paul in Sunday’s final.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk