"It was a tough evening, it wasn't my day," Musetti's first words after his defeat in the Chengdu final

After a three-year title drought, Lorenzo Musetti came close to victory in Chengdu but ultimately fell in a thrilling decisive game against Alejandro Tabilo. Emotional and in tears, he expressed his heartfelt thoughts on the court.

Musetti hasn't tasted the joy of an ATP Tour title in nearly three years, since he won the Naples ATP tournament in October 2022 against Matteo Berrettini. The Italian, ranked 9th in the world and the top seed at the ATP 250 Chengdu tournament, nonetheless had two championship points against Alejandro Tabilo in the final.

However, he failed to convert them before losing in the third-set tiebreak (6-3, 2-6, 7-6 in 2 hours and 37 minutes). After the match, the 23-year-old Musetti broke down in tears on his chair before sharing his initial thoughts on the court.

"It was a tough evening for me. It wasn't my day. I congratulate Alejandro (Tabilo). It was an intense match, and we fought for every point until the end. In this sport, there's only one winner: sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

I hope next week will be better. I thank my team and my family, who watched the match from home. We did excellent work. It's been a long time since I've won a title.

I hope next time will be the right one. Thank you to the organizers and everyone who makes this tournament special," Musetti said during the on-court ceremony after his defeat.