Musetti saves match point to reach Athens final and prolong Turin hopes
Lorenzo Musetti saved a match point to defeat Sebastian Korda in Athens on Friday, keeping alive his bid for a place at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. The Italian triumphed 6-0, 5-7, 7-5, and advanced to face Novak Djokovic in the final.
Djokovic reached the final after halting his streak of semi-final defeats, beating Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-4. Musetti currently sits ninth in the ATP Race, just outside the cut for the eight-man Finals beginning Monday in his homeland. To qualify, he must capture the Athens title to surpass Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the rankings.
Match summary
Musetti began in dominant form, conceding only five points as he swept the opening set. In the second, he broke in the seventh game, but Korda responded immediately and then broke again in the 12th to take the set 7-5. The deciding set turned into a battle of nerves. Korda earned a match point in the tenth game, but Musetti survived after a brilliant drop shot and lob combination.
The Italian then broke serve, saved another break point, and closed the match after two hours and twenty minutes.
"I think we both played a fantastic match," Musetti said. "The level was getting higher and the adrenaline was intense."
"Achieving the final here is really important and I am already focusing on tomorrow," he added.
Author’s summary
Musetti overcame Korda in a tense semifinal in Athens, keeping his ATP Finals hopes alive as he prepares to face Djokovic for the title.