WHAT HAPPENED: Lorenzo Musetti had a hard time on the US hard court tournament swing this summer. Across three stops, the stylish swinging Italian had won just one match.
The No. 10 seed had a decided reversal of fortune on Day 3 of the 2025 US Open on Tuesday, by throttling the thundering serves of towering Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening match in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The twice Grand Slam semifinalist, Musetti managed to scratch out service breaks against the 6-foot-8 Mpetshi Perricard in the last three sets to move on with a 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win.
“Today I showed mentally I was really there and stuck to my plan to the last point,” Musetti said to cheers from the pro-Italian crowd. “I am really proud of this win.”
After losing the first set tiebreak 7-3, a combination of adjustments in returning second serves and some crucial double faults opened the door for this year’s French Open semifinalist.
Mpetshi Perricard committed three doubles, including one on break point to drop his serve at 3-4 in the third set. In the second set, the Frenchman misfired for two double faults to drop his serve at 1-3. Musetti broke serve in the last set for 3-2 on a forehand misfire from Mpetshi Perricard.
Ironically, it was Musetti who never faced a break point in the two-hour-and-32-minute match. He also equaled Mpetshi Perricard with 13 aces.
WHAT IT MEANS: The year has been a story of two seasons for the 23-year-old Italian. On the European clay courts, Musetti has thrived. He beat favorite son Carlos Alcaraz to win in Barcelona, reached the French Open semifinals as well as in Madrid and at the Italian Open.
But since then, first on the grass and then the hard courts it has been a different story. The 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist made a first-round exit this year, and then came his hard court troubles leading up to the US Open.
MATCH POINT: Musetti and US Open defending champion Jannik Sinner are making history as the first two Italians to be in the world Top 10 at the same time. The pair could meet in the quarterfinals.
