Musetti Edges Rublev in Hong Kong Thriller, One Win From First Title Since 2022

Lorenzo Musetti Battles Past Andrey Rublev in Hong Kong Semifinal, Breaks Into Top 5 for First Time

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 10/01/2026 à 10h57

2 min to read

Hong Kong Musetti Lorenzo Rublev Andrey

Lorenzo Musetti and Andrey Rublev faced off this Saturday. The Italian and the Russian contested the first semifinal of the ATP 250 tournament in Hong Kong. A matchup that tennis fans had been anticipating since the draw was made.

The two players lived up to expectations and met for only the second time on the ATP Tour. In 2020, Rublev emerged victorious against a still-inexperienced Musetti in Dubai (6-4, 6-4).

Much has changed since then, but the two battled fiercely on court. This tight and undecided encounter until the very end swung in favor of the higher-ranked player, who had to dig deep to turn the tide. After breaking back in the first set, Musetti ultimately conceded the opening set in a tiebreak after less than an hour of play.

Musetti Turns the Tables on Rublev and Advances to Hong Kong Final

The world No. 7 then showed patience to level the match. While neither player managed to gain an edge on return in the second set, Musetti broke Rublev's serve at the perfect moment, at 5-5, before holding his own serve immediately after.

A similar scenario unfolded in the third set, where Musetti broke at 5-4. The final game was complicated, however, and he had to save three break points before closing it out (6-7, 7-5, 6-4 in 2h43).

Lorenzo Musetti qualifies for the final and will face the winner of the match between Alexander Bublik and Marcos Giron in an attempt to win his third career title, his first since Naples 2022.

As good news never comes alone, Musetti is now guaranteed to break into the top 5 for the very first time in his career at the conclusion of the tournament, at 23 years old.