In a battle of 21-year-old Italians, Jannik Sinner overwhelmed Lorenzo Musetti on Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters to continue his success this season at the ATP Masters 1000 events.
The seventh-seeded Sinner earned a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory to advance to the semi-finals for the third straight event at the prestigious level, backing up his runs to the Indian Wells semis and the Miami final. By improving to 7-0 against his countrymen on the ATP Tour, Sinner became the first Italian to reach the Monte-Carlo semis since Fabio Fognini won the 2019 title in Monaco. He will face sixth seed Holger Rune on Saturday for a place in the final.
"It's not easy playing against [Musetti]," Sinner reflected after the win, saying that the match was closer than the scoreline indicated. "I know his ability, his style, especially on this surface. I knew that I had to step up, try to take my chances before him.
"For sure starting [well], breaking him early gave me a lot of confidence and obviously I'm very happy about the performance... I felt great today on the court. I felt that I'm hitting the ball in the right spots in the right moments. I tried to stay aggressive, which I've done, so that's for sure the positive thing."
Sinner is the only man to reach the last four at all three ATP Masters 1000s this season, and one of only three to reach the quarters at each event (Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz). After entering Monte-Carlo at a career-high of World No. 8, Sinner can rise to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by claiming his first Masters 1000 title and eighth tour-level crown on Sunday.
He would also move up to second in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, behind Medvedev, if he wins the Monte-Carlo trophy.
Under pressure from the first ball on Court Rainier III, Musetti could not match his comeback heroics from Thursday, when he battled back from a set down to stun Novak Djokovic. Though he created five break points, he could not make a breakthrough on the Sinner serve after breaking the Serbian eight times.
Sinner raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, hitting his spots exceptionally well with his booming forehand to take control. While Musetti threatened early in set two, Sinner recovered from a tough opening service game to break to love, setting himself on his way to his first Monte-Carlo semi-final appearance.
Musetti continued to challenge his countryman with consistency and creativity, but Sinner had all the answers down the stretch. His relentless aggression helped him improve to 2-0 in the pair's ATP Head2Head, without a set lost.
Sinner won the Montpellier title and reached the Rotterdam final this year in addition to his ATP Masters 1000 success, and he is now 24-5 on the season.
The Italian is expecting a fun match against Rune in Saturday's semis: "Two young players facing each other. Both of us, we are very aggressive," he said, previewing the pair's second ATP Head2Head meeting. "We try to do our thing on the court, different kinds of attitudes. It's going to be hopefully a very exciting match."
Musetti, after his win against Djokovic, was bidding to earn two Top 10 wins at a tournament for the first time. Instead, he fell to 5-10 against Top 10 opponents with defeat in his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final (2022 Paris).
The seventh-seeded Sinner earned a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory to advance to the semi-finals for the third straight event at the prestigious level, backing up his runs to the Indian Wells semis and the Miami final. By improving to 7-0 against his countrymen on the ATP Tour, Sinner became the first Italian to reach the Monte-Carlo semis since Fabio Fognini won the 2019 title in Monaco. He will face sixth seed Holger Rune on Saturday for a place in the final.
"It's not easy playing against [Musetti]," Sinner reflected after the win, saying that the match was closer than the scoreline indicated. "I know his ability, his style, especially on this surface. I knew that I had to step up, try to take my chances before him.
"For sure starting [well], breaking him early gave me a lot of confidence and obviously I'm very happy about the performance... I felt great today on the court. I felt that I'm hitting the ball in the right spots in the right moments. I tried to stay aggressive, which I've done, so that's for sure the positive thing."
Sinner is the only man to reach the last four at all three ATP Masters 1000s this season, and one of only three to reach the quarters at each event (Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz). After entering Monte-Carlo at a career-high of World No. 8, Sinner can rise to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by claiming his first Masters 1000 title and eighth tour-level crown on Sunday.
He would also move up to second in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, behind Medvedev, if he wins the Monte-Carlo trophy.
Under pressure from the first ball on Court Rainier III, Musetti could not match his comeback heroics from Thursday, when he battled back from a set down to stun Novak Djokovic. Though he created five break points, he could not make a breakthrough on the Sinner serve after breaking the Serbian eight times.
Sinner raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, hitting his spots exceptionally well with his booming forehand to take control. While Musetti threatened early in set two, Sinner recovered from a tough opening service game to break to love, setting himself on his way to his first Monte-Carlo semi-final appearance.
Musetti continued to challenge his countryman with consistency and creativity, but Sinner had all the answers down the stretch. His relentless aggression helped him improve to 2-0 in the pair's ATP Head2Head, without a set lost.
Sinner won the Montpellier title and reached the Rotterdam final this year in addition to his ATP Masters 1000 success, and he is now 24-5 on the season.
The Italian is expecting a fun match against Rune in Saturday's semis: "Two young players facing each other. Both of us, we are very aggressive," he said, previewing the pair's second ATP Head2Head meeting. "We try to do our thing on the court, different kinds of attitudes. It's going to be hopefully a very exciting match."
Musetti, after his win against Djokovic, was bidding to earn two Top 10 wins at a tournament for the first time. Instead, he fell to 5-10 against Top 10 opponents with defeat in his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final (2022 Paris).