Musetti Returns To Clay With Buenos Aires Win

Lorenzo Musetti won his first ATP Tour title on the clay of Hamburg last July, defeating fellow Argentina Open seed Carlos Alcaraz in the final. In his first match on the surface in nearly seven months, the Italian eased back into the win column with a 6-2, 6-3 win against home favourite Pedro Cachin on Thursday in Buenos Aires.

Patient but aggressive in his tournament debut, Musetti opened the court time and again to earn his first victory since he won four straight matches at the United Cup. He created 10 break points, converting half, and sealed the win by claiming the final three games of the one-hour, 25-minute contest.

"It was not easy because Pedro was playing good. It was his second round and for me it was the first match here," the third seed said. "I feel great. I felt great from when I arrived here. I feel at home even if we are in Argentina. I think Italian culture and Argentinian culture is really close. So I'm happy with the win because I played great tennis."

Entering the week as World No. 20, Musetti is up two places to No. 18 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, a mark which would match his career high. He will meet qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in Friday's quarter-finals after the Peruvian defeated Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.

"He beat Thiem so I think he's playing pretty well," Musetti said ahead of the pair's first ATP Head2Head meeting. "I have to focus on my game and concentrate on myself and try to play, like today, really solid."

[ATP APP]

In the draw's top half, fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo cruised into the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Spain's Jaume Munar. One of two Argentines in the quarter-finals, alongside Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Cerundolo will next play Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Zapata Miralles upset fourth seed Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3 to close Thursday's play at the ATP 250. It was a second opening-match defeat for in as many weeks for the Argentine, who was also knocked out in the Cordoba opening round on home soil.

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