Hamburg 2022: Looking Back at Musetti's Last (and Only) Victory Over Alcaraz on the Tour
Hamburg 2022 will be remembered as Lorenzo Musetti's last and only victory over Carlos Alcaraz. A look back at a hard-fought final.
The final of the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg 2022 pitted two young tennis prodigies against each other. And from the first exchanges, the match came to life: technical mastery and intensity that turned to the Italian's advantage.
The second set provided an even more hard-fought battle than the first, during which the Spaniard appeared very nervous. Furthermore, while trailing 4-5 on Musetti's serve, a controversial incident added to the already palpable tension.
Indeed, at 15-15 in that game, a ball that appeared to have bounced twice was not called by the chair umpire, causing discontent for the young prodigy. However, this situation did not prevent him from leveling the match after a very tight tie-break (7-6(6)), thus pushing his opponent into a third and final set.
Finally, in the third set, despite Alcaraz's virtuosity, Musetti managed to keep his composure and capitalize on every point. While he was known for being inconsistent in key moments, this time he succeeded in maintaining his focus throughout this duel. Proof of this was his conversion of four out of six break points, illustrating his great efficiency in this match.
In conclusion, this significant victory (6-4, 6-7, 6-4) also earned him his first title on the ATP Tour. Nevertheless, to date, this remains the only time he has managed to defeat the Spanish phenomenon, having since suffered six consecutive defeats.