ROME, Sept 16: Local teenager Lorenzo Musetti stunned Stan Wawrinka 6-0, 7-6 (2) in the first round of the Italian Open for a memorable first win on tour.
Out-hitting Wawrinka�s famed backhand with a one-handed version of his own, the 18-year-old qualifier moved the three-time Grand Slam champion from corner to corner and displayed an all-court game that belied his years.
Musetti became the first player born in 2002 to win on the ATP tour � after fellow Italian Jannik Sinner achieved the feat last year for players born in 2001.
Wawrinka, who chose not to travel to the US Open, appeared rusty and committed a series of errors early on.
�In the first set and the beginning of the second there was no match,� said Musetti, who won the first eight games.
As the match wore on, though, and Wawrinka began to put up more of a fight, Musetti continued hitting winners and delicate drop volleys. He even had more aces than the hard-serving Wawrinka � five to three.
�I kept thinking, �I�m up a set and a break against Wawrinka and he�s starting to click now,�� said the 249th-ranked Musetti, who needed a wild card to get into the qualifying tournament.
�Everything was in place for me to fail. But I�ve been working on the mental aspect of the game the most, and I�ve improved a lot over the last month.
�To get to win my first match here in Rome � unfortunately without fans � I don�t have words to describe it,� he added.
Musetti, who came through qualifying, was the runner-up in the 2018 US Open junior final and then won the Australian Open junior title in 2019. He�s one of a record eight Italians to have reached the second round in Rome.
Roman-born Matteo Berrettini, a US Open semifinalist last year, is seeded No. 4 this week. And Marco Cecchinato, the 2018 French Open semifinalist, defeated Kyle Edmund 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2, to end a seven-match losing streak. � AP
ROME, Sept 16: Local teenager Lorenzo Musetti stunned Stan Wawrinka 6-0, 7-6 (2) in the first round of the Italian Open for a memorable first win on tour.
Out-hitting Wawrinka�s famed backhand with a one-handed version of his own, the 18-year-old qualifier moved the three-time Grand Slam champion from corner to corner and displayed an all-court game that belied his years.
Musetti became the first player born in 2002 to win on the ATP tour � after fellow Italian Jannik Sinner achieved the feat last year for players born in 2001.
Wawrinka, who chose not to travel to the US Open, appeared rusty and committed a series of errors early on.
�In the first set and the beginning of the second there was no match,� said Musetti, who won the first eight games.
As the match wore on, though, and Wawrinka began to put up more of a fight, Musetti continued hitting winners and delicate drop volleys. He even had more aces than the hard-serving Wawrinka � five to three.
�I kept thinking, �I�m up a set and a break against Wawrinka and he�s starting to click now,�� said the 249th-ranked Musetti, who needed a wild card to get into the qualifying tournament.
�Everything was in place for me to fail. But I�ve been working on the mental aspect of the game the most, and I�ve improved a lot over the last month.
�To get to win my first match here in Rome � unfortunately without fans � I don�t have words to describe it,� he added.
Musetti, who came through qualifying, was the runner-up in the 2018 US Open junior final and then won the Australian Open junior title in 2019. He�s one of a record eight Italians to have reached the second round in Rome.
Roman-born Matteo Berrettini, a US Open semifinalist last year, is seeded No. 4 this week. And Marco Cecchinato, the 2018 French Open semifinalist, defeated Kyle Edmund 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2, to end a seven-match losing streak. � AP
