CHENGDU, September 22, 2025 (Press Release)
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti powered his way into the Chengdu Open final for the second consecutive year, defeating Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-1 in just one hour and four minutes on Center Court this evening.
The World No. 9 was in commanding form, not facing a single break point while converting four of eight break opportunities against his world No.96 opponent. Musetti’s win makes him the first player in tournament history to reach the final twice.
“I’m really happy and proud. My biggest goal, of course, is to win and lift the trophy, but that’s a goal for tomorrow. Today it was important to show a higher level of tennis, and that’s probably what I needed to succeed. I definitely improved my game and the feeling I had on court was much better compared to earlier rounds, so I’m really, really happy about that,” said the 23-year-old.
Earlier in the day, Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo delivered a clinical performance to oust fourth seed Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(0) in one hour and 34 minutes, booking his fifth ATP Tour final and first since claiming Mallorca last year.
The former World No. 19, who has battled injuries and inconsistent form this season, was dominant on serve, facing no break points throughout the match. After dropping his serve in the fifth game of the first set to trail, Nakashima steadied in the second, but Tabilo proved unplayable in the tiebreak. An early mini-break in the opening point set the tone, and the Chilean’s confidence only grew as he swept through the remainder of the tiebreak.
The World No. 112, who will re-enter the Top 100 with the points gained from his Chengdu run, also became the first Chilean to reach a Tour-level final this season and the first South American finalist in Chengdu Open history.
“I think he was very solid throughout the match and was serving well so I had to be patient. But I think I started off well and was also serving well today as well, so I’m happy with my performance. It’s been an up and down season, with a few months out, so I’m just so happy to back in another final. Hopefully I can finish it off tomorrow but I’m just trying to take this all in and enjoy every moment,” said the 28-year-old.
And then there were two… finals tomorrow: Musetti vs Tabilo. #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/MNpVaLAW9V
— Chengdu Open (@ChengduOpen) September 22, 2025
Tuesday’s final between Musetti and Tabilo will be their first meeting at Tour-level, having previously faced off once at Challenger level in Antalya in 2021, where the Italian won in straight sets.
“He’s a super tricky opponent, even if he doesn’t have the ranking he once did. We haven’t played much, and this will be our first meeting on hard court. He’s fast, serves really well, and has all the tools—he’s also reached finals before. It will be interesting to battle against him,” said Musetti ahead of the clash.
