Montecarlo, Musetti and Nardi ahead: now it will be a derby

A splendid day, Vasco Rossi would sing, and that of Italian tennis in the Principality was all right. Three victories out of three, four out of four if we also count Matteo Berrettini’s on Easter Monday. Thus, after the feat of Lorenzo Sonego, the successes of Lorenzo Musetti and Luca Nardi arrived. Heavy, different reasons, and also expected. That of the Tuscan, seeded number 16, was needed to interrupt that black streak that accompanied him in this beginning of 2023, and today’s is a confirmation of what happens when a player takes the field, perhaps not in trust but predestined, and one maybe fit but tidy and nothing more. So Musetti, as soon as he found his inspiration, managed to beat a tough guy like the Serbian Kecmanovic 7-6 (1) 6-0. A clear victory after a painful first set but won by playing a spectacular tie break, which gave confidence to Lorenzo, who took the chair by destroying the player who was a finalist in Estori two days ago. Musetti ramped between short shots, first serve and winners, closing the match on the first match point.

Blue derbies

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Now there will be the blue derby against another very good confirmation, that Luca Nardi (born in 2003) who won his first match in the main draw of a 1000 tournament. The 19-year-old from Pesaro, 161 in the world and coming from the qualifiers, defeated with a double 7-5 the local wild card Valentin Vacherot, number 350 in the ranking. Luca, a talented player who is slowly emerging even at high levels, has done the trick. Against an opponent who is not at his level but with more experience (born in 1998), Nardi held out when it came to suffering and played as he knows when there was time to change gears. He had to win and he won, taking advantage of a friendly draw that now allows him to enjoy a second round in such a prestigious tournament and a nice derby against Musetti.