Debutant home hero Lorenzo Musetti keeps ATP Finals hopes alive with thrilling three set win over Alex de Minaur

Lorenzo Musetti has assured that his ATP Finals hopes remain very much alive at the Inapli Arena in Turin in front of his home crowd turning around both a win over Alex de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 and also his initial shortcomings in his opener against Taylor Fritz.

Musetti came into his clash with Fritz albeit semi excusable given that he had played in Athens until the end of last week only to be told that he would get a spot in the ATP Finals anyway due to the fact that Novak Djokovic had decided to give his up and leave the whole tennis world hanging.

So much so that in reality Musetti could've stopped short in not playing the tournament and would've still got in alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime who took an educated gamble and didn't bother playing in Metz thinking that Musetti if he did win through would've earned it anyway so he wasn't hugely bothered.

But truthfully Musetti actually fared better anyway as Felix Auger-Aliassime limped off injured and could yet be replaced by a certain showman Alexander Bublik who was somewhat of a surprise laterunner in the race for ATP Finals spots. The Italian though who is somewhat the second figurehead behind Jannik Sinner soaked up the adulation of the crowd in Turin to cap off the win he was hoping for in his opener.

Musetti completed a stunning comeback from 3-5 down in the deciding set to move to 1-1 in the Jimmy Connors Group and keep his qualification hopes firmly intact. He looked languid and was drawn in against Fritz. Against De Minaur, he rediscovered his spark. He hammered through the defence of the Aussie ace with superb ball-striking and whipped up the crowd into a real frenzy as he eventually snapped and spurned his chance to win the tie.

He faded in the second set and going into the third in particular but he managed to whip himself up. He recovered from losing a 31 shot rally at 4-3 30-30 which in reality took more out of De Minaur than it did Musetti. It produced a forehand tweener that left both on the floor. When De Minaur served for the match, he buckled under the weight of pressure. Musetti struck back to break and rode a wave of momentum and the sea of crowd noise.

Next up for Musetti is the World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the third match on Thursday. It is a must win for Musetti which of course is easier said than done. The Spaniard has looked exquisite and every glimmer the World No.1 as he has beaten both De Minaur and Fritz this week. All four players can still qualify for the semi-finals.

Musetti has now made it 4-1 against De Minaur in their Head-to-Head and it is his first top 10 win though on hard courts in 2025 despite wins over De Minaur albeit on clay earlier this year.

He spoke about the euphoria he felt and whether it was the most he has ever felt on a tennis court. “Honestly yes. I think today at a certain point of the match I was really struggling physically. Alex raised the level and intensity. I was struggling to find solutions. But then with a big heart, with big passion for this game.. I don’t know from where.. I started to feel better and to play better. The support of the crowd is literally amazing. I have to thank them all.”

He also mooted his mentality on stage. “Of a warrior. I think I improved a lot on the mental side. Of course I’m pushing myself to the limit. I’m playing every match with the top players. I knew that. The next one coming is against Carlos.. So I know how difficult it is.. Especially in these conditions. I’ll try to enjoy and fight like I’ve done today.”