Musetti beats Alcaraz in Hamburg, his first career title

Lorenzo, you are forgiven. We forgive you the service from below on the match point in the semifinal that almost puts Cerundolo back into play, we predict the five match points burned in the second set. Lorenzo Musetti gives Italian tennis a very sweet tiramisu after the bite swallowed for the defeat of Matteo Berrettini. He wins the challenge of the third millennium with Carlos Alcaraz, an unimaginable feat on the eve, in three sets 6-4 6-7 6-4. Here he is Lorenzo, he too has arrived. With his times and his difficulties, but with a tennis that makes you dream. A day, that of Hamburg, which once again confirms how much the tennis of the future is in good hands. Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest number 5 in the world since Nadal in 2005, the kid who has already beaten every record of precocity and had never lost even a set in the five finals played (and won) in his career, thus also surrenders to Musetti afterwards having lost at Wimbledon to Jannik Sinner another member of the Zeta generation.

The match

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The first set starts with a bold Musetti, not at all intimidated by the champion who is on the other side of the net and who at 19 is already 5 in the world. He responds well, slips into the cracks that Alcaraz leaves and goes anti of a break. But the reaction of Juan Carlos Ferrero’s young pupil is immediate, he reacts with the counterbreak and safety rises. Musetti is not afraid, pushed from his box by Simone Tartarini and Umberto Rianna. The serve works great, the response as well and in the seventh and often decisive game, Lorenzo again breaks Alcaraz’s serve. This time he does not get distracted, he fights, and consolidates the advantage going then to close the first set 6-4 with a beautiful straight winner. The second set opens with Musetti still charged. He doesn’t want to overdo it but he has figured out how to put his rivals in trouble, gives him weightless balls that he can’t lean on, leading Carlitos to make a mistake. It is a break at the opening, immediately consolidated, with firmness by the Italian already certain of the best ranking and the top 40 from tomorrow. We continue in balance, with Lorenzo who dictates the game, changes angles and trajectories, always offers different balls to his rival and forces him to make a mistake. Masterpiece in the 7th game: three balls of the counterbreak for Carlos Alcaraz who retrieves a short ball from Musetti with a feline shot. Lorenzo cancels the first, then also the second with a nice hidden stop volley as only Carlitos could do. The third is a winning service. The chance of 5-3 is an exceptional defense with Alcaraz dampened in the net, but a forehand mistake puts the situation in a draw. Ace! at 212 km / h. Keeps service. But that’s not all. Carlitos cancels two match points and has the ball for the counterbreak. He’s not wrong, and for Musetti everything has to be redone. The tie break is played. Lorenzo from 3-1 comeback 3-3. Musetti’s minibreak that goes 5-3, then 6-3 and Lorenzo again has three match points. He does not finish this time either and with a double fault he allows Alcaraz to play for the title in the 3rd place. Tiene Musetti who in the 6th game also has a break point but fails to materialize it. At 5-4, however, the sixth match point. This time he makes it. It’s all true