Musetti seals Top 5 debut with SF win over Rublev in Hong Kong
Lorenzo Musetti scored a semi-final victory of double meaning on Saturday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he also sealed his Top 5 breakthrough.
The top-seeded Italian produced a gritty display to rally past former champion Andrey Rublev 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4 and reach his ninth ATP Tour final. Musetti, who is chasing his first title since he won two in 2022, has jumped to a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and has ensured a Top 5 berth on Monday.
“It was quite a match, I think I’ve never played like this here in Hong Kong,” said Musetti, who levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rublev at 1-1. “It was a really incredible level. Everytime I was raising his level, and in the end, I increased [mine]. So I’m really happy to be in the final.”
Musetti awaits a championship-match clash with second seed Alexander Bublik or Marcos Giron. The 23-year-old Musetti is also into Sunday’s doubles final alongside countryman Lorenzo Sonego.
A crucial moment of his semi-final clash with Rublev came with Musetti serving at 3-4 in the second set. He crucially saved two break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in a lengthy service hold that featured six Deuces, staying in contention and ultimately swinging the match in his favour late in the third.
Last year’s Nitto ATP Finals debutant, Musetti will become the third Italian in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings to be ranked inside the Top 5, after Adriano Panatta (1976) and Jannik Sinner (2024).
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