Musetti Plays & Wins First Five-Setter, Extends Paris Stay

Lorenzo Musetti extended his stay in Paris with a hard-fought victory over fellow Italian Marco Cecchinato on Saturday at Roland Garros.

The 19-year-old #NextGenATP star became the sixth player since 2000 to reached the fourth round on his Grand Slam championship debut after he defeated 2018 semi-finalist Cecchinato 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in three hours and seven minutes. It was the first five-setter of his career.

Musetti, who hit 50 winners, fell to the ground in celebration after he completed his 16th match win of the year (16-8 record) to set up a clash against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the 2016 champion from Serbia, or Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.

MALE PLAYERS TO REACH LAST 16 ON GRAND SLAM DEBUT (SINCE 2000)

Position	Player
Hyung-Taik Lee	2000 US Open
David Goffin	2012 Roland Garros
Juan Ignacio Londero	2019 Roland Garros
Daniel Altmaier	2020 Roland Garros
Aslan Karatsev	2021 Australian Open
Lorenzo Musetti	2021 Roland Garros

Musetti, competing at a career-high No. 76 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, broke 28-year-old Cecchinato in the third game of the decider with a fine backhand winner down the line. The flashy shot-maker gained another break, for a 5-1 advantage, after Cecchinato hit a forehand wide.

Cecchinato, seeking the 50th clay-court win of his career, responded immediately and at 2-5 saved three match points with five points in a row from 0/40. But Musetti kept his composure as he served for the match for a second time.

Underarm serves, behind-the-back volleys... 🤩

These two pulled out all the tricks today 👏#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/BgnPwV4hb7

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2021

Nine months ago, Musetti was still outside the Top 250 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. He has reached two ATP Tour semi-finals this year, as a qualifier at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC and also at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (l. to Tsitsipas both times).

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Did You Know?
If Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz join Musetti in the Roland Garros fourth round on Saturday, it will be the first time that three teenagers have reached that stage at Roland Garros since 1990, when 19-year-old Jim Courier, 18-year-olds Michael Chang, the defending champion, and Goran Ivanisevic all advanced to the Last 16.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3g8oAvS