By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 1, 2024
With Jannik Sinner missing the Olympics due to tonsillitis, hopes for the Italian men shifted to the shoulders of Lorenzo Musetti. The 22-year-old has not disappointed.
Musetti became the first Italian man or woman to reach an Olympic singles semifinal since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988, defeating Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-5 on Thursday in Paris.
A semifinalist at Wimbledon in July, 16th-ranked Musetti hasn’t skipped a beat as he has returned to the clay and earned wins over Gael Monfils, Mariano Navone, Taylor Fritz and Zverev to set a semifinal against either Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The second-ranked Italian man is looking more like a Top-10 talent these days, with his all-court game flowing in all directions.
He saved four of five break points as he muscled past the third-seeded German in two hours and five minutes. It was his first win over Zverev in two tries.
The Italian, who became a father earlier this year, has won 21 of his last 26 matches dating back to the start of Roland-Garros.