Third seed Carlos Alcaraz sees off world No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, becoming the first man to reach four finals on tour this season, his first at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Friday in Rome.
World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz outlasted home favorite Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win in two hours and three minutes to advance to his first final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Friday afternoon.
Next, he awaits the winner of the match between world number one Jannik Sinner and 11th seed Tommy Paul, set up for the night session.
The numbers reflect the first semifinal outcome, probably one of Alcaraz’s best tennis showings on clay in the lead-up to his title defense at the French Open.
The 18-time ATP titlist hit 20 winners against 39 unforced errors compared to the eighth seed’s nine and 41.
The Match as It Happened
Meeting one another for the first time since their Monte-Carlo championship match, staged a month ago, the Spaniard and the Italian took Campo Centrale to battle for a place in the final.
With two consecutive unforced errors, Musetti handed the world No. 3 the early break at Foro Italico.
The Spaniard, who came out on fire, saved three break points before holding his ground to extend his advantage to 2-0.
When the No. 2 Italian was back on serve, the wind picked up on Campo Centrale, becoming a factor throughout the semifinal contest.
Under pressure, the Carrara-born held off his opponent across a lengthy third game he eventually took, setting foot in the match.
In the driver’s seat from the onset, Alcaraz put to good use his vast repertoire, marching to convert a double break in the fifth game.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old struggled to find his rhythm while lacking depth on the return.
However, the home favorite dug deep under tough conditions to break straight back and held after a tight, lengthy seventh game to narrow the gap to 3-4.
Edging his adversary with his sharp forehand, the four-time Grand Slam champion broke to take the opener 6-3 in 54 minutes.
All in all, Musetti’s erratic showing saw him commit 29 unforced errors to the former world number one, 18, and it cost him high against such a fierce rival.
A trade of breaks exchanged set off the second set with the two-time ATP titlist pulling an extra gear in his effort to turn around the match.
Finding the pace he needed, he converted a double break in the third game. Nonetheless, he continued to show signs of frustration, failing to find consistency in his game.
Trailing 1-3, the 22-year-old recovered, breaking to split the scoreboard four sets apiece and holding at love to inch one game away from a spot in Sunday’s final.
But Musetti stayed the course, and so did the Murcia native; such fine margins led to a tiebreaker in which they rallied with brilliance.
Ultimately, Alcaraz made the most of his chances to close out the set 7-6(4), punching his ticket to a maiden championship match in Rome.
He won 66 percent of the points on his first serve and 46 behind his second delivery. Also, he earned 6 of 9 net approaches, converting five of 14 break-point opportunities.
En route to the last four, Simone Tartarini’s pupil dismantled defending champion Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night to advance into his third consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal, his first in Rome.
For his part, Alcaraz ousted world No. 6 Jack Draper 6-4, 6-4, breaking new ground at Foro Italico.
Spain’s top racket leads the tour in match wins this season with 29 as of today.
