Lorenzo Musetti was champion at the ATP 500 in Hamburg by beating Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 in two hours and 49 minutes. At 20 years old, it is the first ATP title he has won and he will finish as World No.31.
The day of the final of the German tournament arrived with two players who are said to be in high positions and fight for everything in the next five years. One of them, the Spanish, has already exploded and is in the top 10, but the Italian still needs to be able to take that little step forward. It was the second time they faced the 2020 precedent that they left us at the Trieste Challenger. A very high level game where the one from El Palmar managed to get away with the victory.
Musetti golpea primero
Lorenzo started out dominating, taking the first six points of the event, but Alcaraz countered by taking the next eight. With which, equality quickly returned. The Spaniard was not enjoying that explosiveness in his blows and was not capable of taking the initiative as he likes, especially with his right hand. The Italian might be seen with a more outstanding and fluid mobility of the legs when it came to hitting blows, very regenerated on a mental level and with very clear ideas of how to face this match.
In the seventh game, however, Musetti was going to seize another break chance granted to him by the rival. He managed to maintain that difference that despite not having that shine, he did not stop trying to improve the sensations. Lorenzo ended up closing the set with his serve to the first quarter ball he had and started the second quarter with differences by breaking in the first game.
They kept going and Carlos looked like he was going to have equality, having increased his pace on the court and finding some other better feeling. He got to have a 0-40 when Lorenzo served with a 4-3 in favor. However, with all the temperance in the world, he was getting the remaining points with the Spaniard making some mistakes, but finally he won that very important game.
Musetti went on to serve for the game at 5-4. At 15-15, Carlos protested a ball that the Italian had raised in the second boat in a drop shot but the chair umpire did not mark it. In the repetition given by the performance it was clearly felt that the Spanish was right. Then came two match points for the transalpine, but the top seed in the table, remained focused and took the helm of the points, also hitting the drop that he had not been an ally of superior character. With which, he broke Lorenzo’s serve and celebrated by asking for that support from the public.
Alcaraz comes back
The Italian was able to continue on a mental level and get into a tie-break full of ups and downs. The first to take the lead was Alcaraz, leading 3-1 and it seemed that he was going to put the direct, but the opposite happened. Musetti was the one who achieved all the points until reaching 6-3 and having match points. The Spanish made mistakes but Lorenzo was solvent. On the first match point, the Italian played it, then Alcaraz forced him, and then with his serve he made it 6-6. After the change of ends, set point arrived, and the World No.62 double faulted following missing the opportunity of five match points during this second set.
Musetti draws strength
The psychological level shown by Lorenzo was reliable instead of going off on a mental level. They were riding in the games with the two wanting to find in their service that power of not putting the opponent in the game. Musetti continued without collapsing and Carlos continued with that march of having increased his level. In the tenth game, two errors by Alcaraz, and Lorenzo’s tenacity were mixed so that a new match ball arrived. It was the sixth in total and this was the one that Musetti took advantage of to become champion at the ATP 500 in Hamburg.
