Despite the final finishing touches from the Jimmy Connors team, everything is still to play as Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti prepare to join the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday night.
ALCARAZ has just a lot of space in the field. With one win you will get the No. 1 clinic. 1 condition. The top-ranked Spaniard is in a position to do so with a victory so far in Turin in Turin over Alex de Minaur (7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-5). In his third appearance in the year-end tournament, this is the first time that Alcaraz has won his first two robot matches.
Musetti played the match of the tournament so far, delasting de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 after two hours and 47 minutes from the third set. Having previously lost to Fritz 6-3, 6-4, Musetti would be eliminated with another loss and this matchup with Alcaraz would be a dead rubber. Instead, the ninth-grade Italian lives on with a degree of secrecy.
Thursday marks the ninth meeting between the two players, with Alcaraz leading the series 7-1 (6-1 in the first round). They have been cut three times this season, all during quick stretches with clay (alcaraz disabled in Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Roland Garros). Musetti’s lone victory came in a 6-4, 6-7 (4) decision in the 2022 Hamburg Final.
The underdog has a chance to make this rivalry game competitive – at least for a short time. His home fans won’t let him go down without a fight, as they inspired him to make an epic comeback against De Minaur. However, fatigue must be a thing. This is Mumetti’s eighth tournament as a US opener – a shocking number – and it comes last in Athens. A nearly three-hour battle with De Minaur doesn’t help matters.
Although the entertainment level should be high, look for Alcaraz to run away with it in the end.
Select: Alcaraz in 2
