MADRID/WASHINGTON, May 2, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
With his debut in the ATP Top 10 already certain, after defeating World No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals in the Spanish capital city, Italian No. 2 Lorenzo Musetti confidently and impressively continued his run on clay by marching into his second straight ATP Masters 1000 semifinal – and becoming the first man since Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev of Germany in 2022 to reach both the Monte-Carlo and Madrid semifinals in the same year.
On Thursday evening, Musetti defeated 78th-ranked lucky loser Gabriel Diallo of Canada, 6-4, 6-3, on Manolo Santana Stadium to secure his place among the last four, along with World No. 6 Jack Draper of Great Britain, World No. 15 Casper Ruud of Norway and World No. 21 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
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Casper Ruud vs. Francisco Cerúndolo
Jack Draper vs. Lorenzo Musetti@atptour | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/ojItRwuVte— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 1, 2025
With his latest triumph, against Diallo, the Sanremo, Italy native has won nine of his last 10 matches – losing only to World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the final at Monte-Carlo. Against the 23-year-old Canadian, Musetti secured the 89-minute win on his first match-point opportunity after his opponent hit a fifth-shot forehand wide. After he walked off the court a winner, he signed the camera lens “Gracias. Nos vemos mañana!”
The crafty Musetti, who opted to play well behind the baseline for much of the match against Diallo, won 35 of 60 points from that position. He finished with quiet numbers – 12 winners to 12 unforced errors – while Diallo, by contrast, countered with 14 winners but committed 38 unforced errors. Musetti converted four of six break points and saved four of five he faced from the Montreal native and former University of Kentucky standout.
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@Lorenzo1Musetti claims a solid victory over Diallo (6-4, 6-3) to storm into the Madrid semifinals. Will he be crowned king of the Caja Magica?@atptour | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/r37bqmwyil
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 1, 2025
“I probably didn’t show my best tennis,” Musetti said of his quarterfinal win over Diallo, during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “But the important thing of this match was to take the win no matter how I was playing.
“Of course, I didn’t feel the ball like last night [against de Minaur], but I knew it already stepping on court that today was a tough match, especially on the mental side, so I think I managed to stay there and stay focused through the last point. Proud to be in the semis.”
SF’s are calling @Lorenzo1Musetti cruises to a 6-4 6-3 victory over Diallo!@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/KJmWg7atKl
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 1, 2025
Musetti has compiled an impressive 18-3 win-loss record on clay since last July, highlighted by winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games and reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo last month. He will break inside the Top 10 when the PIF ATP Rankings are updated on Monday just in time for the Italian Open in Rome – the third-youngest Italian man to break inside the Top 10, following Jannik Sinner (20 years, 77 days) and Adriano Panatta (23 years, 45 days). With his quarterfinal win over Diallo, he’s passed Holger Rune of Denmark to become the new World No. 8, a career-best ranking, in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
Back-to-back Masters 1000 SFs ✅@Lorenzo1Musetti is in some form now!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/FePPTQsS8q
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 1, 2025
On Friday evening, in a battle of 23-year-old rising stars, Musetti (16-5 in 2025) will face Draper (18-4) in the semifinal round with a berth in Sunday’s final hanging in the balance. The British No. 1, who will crack the Top 5 next week, leads Musetti 3-0 in their tour-level head-to-head encounters. All three of Draper’s wins have come on indoor hard courts, including at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals.
“I always say, ‘There is always a first time’, so hopefully it’s coming here,” Musetti said smiling. “We are close friends. We grew up together playing, so it’s really nice to share this kind of stage. I know Jack is having a tremendous season so far, so I’m really happy for him. Tomorrow is going to be a fight, so hopefully I can put him in a difficult situation.”
@Lorenzo1Musetti | @atptour | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/stXMfor8Uy
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 1, 2025
Thursday’s Mutua Madrid Open results
Friday’s Mutua Madrid Open order of play
By the numbers
Lorenzo Musetti has joined 2021 Madrid finalist Matteo Berrettini as the only Italian men’s semifinals in Madrid and to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semifinal in back-to-back events.
“Quotable …”
“After Monte-Carlo, something changed in myself, a positive click forward. That’s something I have been waiting for for a long time. I feel more secure on what I have to do on the court. Of course I can lose, but I have the attitude and mentality of a Top 10 right now, so I’m really happy about that.”
– World No. 111 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, during his on-court interview Wednesday evening, following his win over World No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia.
