Musetti stuns Medvedev as Italian surge continues in rain-hit Rome
Lorenzo Musetti reached his first Italian Open quarter-final on Tuesday with a landmark 7-5, 6-4 victory over defending champion Daniil Medvedev — a win made more dramatic by a three-hour rain delay at match point.
Serving for the match, Musetti was halted by a torrential downpour that swept through the Foro Italico, pausing play just as he stood on the brink of his biggest career win. But the ninth-ranked Italian showed nerves of steel, returning hours later to fire one final winner and seal the result on his very first point.
His reward is a last-eight clash with either defending champion Alexander Zverev or France’s Arthur Fils.
The victory capped a superb week for Musetti, who is enjoying his first spell inside the world’s top 10. It also follows a strong clay-court swing that’s included a final in Monte Carlo and a semi-final in Madrid, underscoring his rising status ahead of Roland Garros.
While Musetti waited out the storm, compatriot Jasmine Paolini was already giving the Roman crowd more to cheer about. The sixth seed battled back from a set down to overcome Diana Shnaider 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, becoming the first Italian woman in 10 years to reach the Rome semi-finals.
Paolini will next face the winner of Elina Svitolina vs Peyton Stearns, with hopes of going one better than her doubles partner Sara Errani, who reached the final in 2014.
Elsewhere, world number two Jannik Sinner was forced to delay his long-anticipated clash with Francisco Cerúndolo due to the downpour. The Argentine eliminated Sinner in the last 16 last year, and the Italian will be keen to avenge that defeat in front of a home crowd.
Earlier in the day, third seed Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the quarter-finals after a gritty 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Karen Khachanov. The Spaniard had never dropped a set to the Russian in four previous meetings but was pushed to the limit in a contest lasting over two hours.
The win keeps alive Alcaraz’s hopes of a maiden Rome title and improves his seeding prospects for the upcoming French Open. He will face fifth seed Jack Draper next, after the Briton defeated Corentin Moutet.
(Source: AFP)
