Lorenzo Musetti Puts the Pressure on Jannik Sinner’s Shoulders Ahead of their All-Italian Clash at the US Open

Lorenzo Musetti entered the US Open with just one win from four matches on the North American hard court swing. However, the Italian has now turned the tables in New York, reaching his maiden US Open quarterfinal. A great challenge awaits him in this round as he faces fellow countryman and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Sinner is on a 25-match winning streak in hard court Grand Slams and decimated his previous opponent, Alexander Bublik, with a triple breadstick scoreline. The four-time Grand Slam champion has a 2-0 head-to-head record over Musetti, with both victories coming in straight sets. Though every odd seems to be in Sinner’s favor, Musetti is optimistic about taking advantage of the opportunity to play him, as he explained at the post-match press conference:

He’s the best player in the world, so I guess that’s the biggest challenge that we have in our sport. That’s what drives me really crazy, the idea to try to break this amazing run that he’s been doing. Of course he’s the best champion. He knows really well the condition here…

Sinner is aiming to become the next person since Roger Federer to defend his US Open crown. Federer clinched five consecutive titles at the US Open from 2004 to 2008. The 24-year-old is also aiming for a third Grand Slam title of the season after victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships. The winner of the upcoming all-Italian quarterfinal showdown will either face Felix Auger-Aliassime Or Alex de Minaur in the US Open semifinal. Speaking about his opponent, Musetti further added:

But I think he has you know the thing that he has to win and I think the pressure will be mostly on his side. So I think on this kind of thing, I know that Jannik has a really good mindset. But I think I have to take advantage on this thing and I think I have to be ready you know to try to win this match.

Musetti has made good progress this season, particularly in the clay swing, albeit being marred with injuries at some big tournaments. He cracked into the ATP top 10 rankings in May and also became the first Italian player to reach the semifinals at all three clay court Masters and the Roland Garros in the same season. He reached his maiden Masters 1000 final this season too at the Monte Carlo Masters.

With his recent milestone at the US Open, Musetti joins Matteo Berrettini and Sinner as the only Italian men to reach Grand Slam quarterfinals on all three surfaces. Musetti also joins Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner as the third man born in the 2000s to accomplish this feat.

Lorenzo Musetti sweeps past Jaume Munar in dominant fashion

Lorenzo Musetti was nearly flawless in his fourth-round match against Jaume Munar at the US Open, cruising past with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-0, 6-1.

The Italian set the tone in the first set, firing 12 winners and four aces. He bageled the Spaniard in the second set, making just three unforced errors and closing the set with a forehand winner.