Roland Garros, Musetti yields to Tsitsipas in the 5th set

And once again, being ahead in Paris is useless. Lorenzo Musetti inflames, deludes himself, deludes himself and in the end gives in against a heavier, expert Stefanos Tsitsipas, swallowed by a black hole for the first two sets, but able to be reborn from his ashes and suck in point by point the 20 year old from Carrara who surrenders to 5th 5-7 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-2. Too bad, because this time, unlike last year against Novak Djokovic, the possibility of closing was there. She lacked a bit of physical shape (Lorenzo was returning from the injury that had made him miss Rome), experience and above all a pinch of killer instinct when Tsitsipas, in the third and fourth set, gave him the opportunity to return. But against the number 4 in the world, who returns to serve as one of the gods of Olympus, his neighbors there in Athens, there isn’t much to do. Just keep studying, working and growing to get to those levels as soon as possible.

The match

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Lorenzo starts badly in the first set, when with three balls for the 2-0 he gets hooked and dragged to the abyss of 4-1. But at that point something clicks in him, he catches the not too hidden suggestion of coach Tartarini from the box “move your feet” and slowly rises, gnaws points, which become games, which become breaks until he closes the first set with a 7- 5 that tastes like an Italian miracle. In the second set, Lorenzo restarts on the brink of the feat he has just completed, snatches the opening bar at the number 4 in the world and in an amen he comes back 40- with the opportunity of 5-0. And while mother Julya Salnikova, in the garage, puts her hands in her hair, her Stefanos wakes up recovering the break from behind. Lorenzo goes to serve for the second set and immediately finds himself under 0-30. first a short ball, then a serve and volley for 30-30 and goes to set point. A double fault, however, puts the Greek back on track. With an ace the Tuscan takes another set point, but the Greek’s counterattack response displaces him. At the third set point, Lollo flies to 2-0.

The comeback of the Greek

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At the opening of the third set the game takes a different turn: Tsitsipas immediately starts at full throttle, snatches Musetti’s serve in the second game and in a moment the blue is 3-0 down. An advantage that cannot be left to the Greek aspiring Slam champion over red. The Apollo of tennis in fact continues to accelerate, in his service rounds it is not played. With determination the number 4 of the world flies 5-2 and snatches the joke from Lorenzo by winning the 3rd set 6-2. The fourth set also got off to a bad start, with Tsitsipas still breaking 2-0. Try the reaction Musetti who has two balls of the counterbreak but fails to achieve. Musetti begins to berate himself and get angry and it is never a good sign. The Greek flies 3-0. But in sport, and especially in tennis, the sport invented by the devil himself is never over. Musetti recovers the break and goes 3-2. But when he serves to bring the score back into a draw, Tsitsipas breaks his serve again. The 4-2 is the beginning of the end, the Greek closes the set 6-3 and it goes to the fifth. With morale under your feet, all covered in red earth. A blow also at the start of the decisive set, with Tsitsipas making the break again and Lorenzo getting angry and cursing. But the physical decline is inexorable, in addition to the mental one. Tartarini’s pupil loses the bar again, then cancels two match points but the Greek closes with the passage of the turn where he finds Kolar who has beaten Pouille.