Musetti beaten by Alcaraz at Roland Garros

Lorenzo Musetti greets Paris. To put him on the plane for the return a smiling and ruthless Carlos Alcaraz, absolute dictator of the field where he does what he wants. The Tuscan, who beat Carlitos in the final in Hamburg a year ago, has to give up in three sets 6-3 6-2 6-2 but his regrets are limited. While on the one hand ours has the hand and talent that brought him closer to Federer and Kuerten, on the other he still lacks aggression, seen only occasionally. The Chatrier crowd had less fun than he had hoped, with an Alcaraz capable of annihilating any leap of pride from the Italian number 2.

THE MATCH

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We hoped that the good morning would start in the morning, that is with a somewhat generous Alcaraz and Lorenzo very good at taking advantage of it: the Tuscan starts with the break in the opening conquered with a backhand down the line that pinches the corner, the line, the hope. Simone Tartarini’s pupil goes up 2-0 but in the third game Alcaraz goes into killer mode and goes 0-40. Lorenzo manages to put a piece in for 15-40 but his backhand ends up in the net and Carlos is equalized again: 2-2. Too contracted, too intimidated too far from the line, Lorenzo still risks with two break points to save in the sixth game. And the risk, when Alcaraz is involved, is quite tangible. And so comes the break, 4-2 for the number 1 in the world, capable of doing whatever he wants while ours is clinging to the canvas, a comfort zone that too often threatens to suffocate him. At 5-2 the orchestra plays “Bella Ciao” but the Carrara sinks 0-30. In a regurgitation of awareness, he remembers that he, too, knows how to make bums, and with a couple of hits he brings himself back to 30-30. He also has the 5-3 ball, but Veronica is shot in the corridor by the tape, as tense as our nerves, which nevertheless manages to keep the serve. Alcaraz doesn’t tremble when it’s time to serve for the set and in fact he closes 6-3. Dejected and helpless, Musetti returns to the field in the second set and suffers the break in the opening. He seems destined to be overwhelmed, at least from what transpires from the body language, and instead in the fourth game the battle heats up: bunts, counter-bums, tweeners, lobs and Muso approaches, 0-30. Chatrier shouts his name, wants the show, at 15-40 Alcaraz puts the ball out and it’s back to par. It didn’t last long, Alcaraz broke Musetti again who placed the ball in the corridor on an open field. At 4-2 the Italian number 2 lands 3 double faults, it goes 4 times to the advantages but it is still the pupil of Juanki Ferrero, who was given a final ovation, who springs ahead at 5-2 sealing 6-2 the second set. There’s not much left to do, break even in the 3rd set, another in the 7th and the number 1 in the world takes his place in the quarterfinals with the winner of Tsitispas-Ofner, shortly on the Paris centre-back.

The numbers of the match speak for themselves: 77% of points scored with the first match for the Spaniard, against 51 for Musetti. The account of the winners 42 to 17 is merciless, 23 free for both and a total points that says 99-66. “I tried to be very aggressive – he said after the match – and the wind bothered me a bit. I tried to play free, without thinking so much about the number 1 and the pressure it brings on me. I continue to enjoy myself and be happy in field”. How to blame him?