Atp Miami, bitter debut for Musetti: he yields to Popyrin in two sets

Lorenzo Musetti’s adventure ends prematurely in the Masters 1000 in Miami, a tournament taking place on the hard rock fields of the Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens). The blue was eliminated in the first round by the Australian Alexei Popyrin, the same player eliminated just over a week ago in the Phoenix Challenger. Popyrin, victorious over the twenty-year-old from Carrara in an hour and 53 minutes of play with a score of 7-5 7-6 (5), in the next round will meet the Croatian Marin Cilic, seeded n.21 of the tournament.

The match

–

The initial games fly away quickly on services then on 1-1 a double foul by Popyrin delivers the first break opportunity in the hands of Lorenzo. The Australian gets over the dangerous situation with a heavy first. Few exchanges, solid services during a fast-paced first set that seems destined to end at the tie-break. However, on 6-5 some too many errors condemned Musetti, who undoes what he had done in twelve games with a slice sent to the net. In 43 minutes Popyrin wins the partial 7-5 while the Italian finds himself at a disadvantage with paradoxically more points than his opponent. In the opening of the second set, the fourth double foul of the match for Popyrin immediately gives Lorenzo a chance to get back on track, who at 30-40 collects a further mistake from his opponent and makes him the 1-0 break. In the third game there are shivers for the twenty-year-old from Carrara who avoids two chances of a counter-break but the third chance is the right one for Popyrin who restores balance at 3-4.

Concluded the longest game of the match (almost 9 minutes), Musetti is visibly nervous, missing the “spark” this day. “I don’t push,” he says while he is serving at 5-6, before sending a forehand into the net, while Popyrin sees the finish line with two match points in favor. Lorenzo manages to postpone everything to the tie-break but a lightning start is of little use with the n.92 in the world who closes for 7-6 (5).