Lorenzo Musetti of Italy defeated Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in a stunning performance to set up a semi-final meeting with Novak Djokovic of Serbia. With this decisive win, the Italian player, Musetti reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final.
Lorenzo Musetti turned in what could be considered the Grand Slam performance of his career on Wednesday, overcoming Taylor Fritz with scores of 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 at the grass-court major. This victory made the 22-year-old the fourth Italian man to reach the singles semi-finals in the history of the event.
Despite World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s defeat to Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday, Musetti showcased the depth of Italian tennis with a polished and poised performance in his first major quarter-final. The 25th seed effectively used his slice backhand to outmaneuver a top grass-court rival, earning a semi-final spot against Novak Djokovic.
After Fritz claimed the fourth set by breaking in the eighth game, Musetti, a two-time ATP Tour titleholder, regained his composure magnificently in the final set. He quickly gained a double-break advantage, showcasing some of the finest tennis of the match, and wrapped up the quarter-final victory in three hours and 27 minutes.
Jasmine Paolini’s progression to the women’s singles semi-finals signifies only the second instance in history where an Italian man and woman have both made it to the semi-finals of the same Grand Slam tournament. The first time was just five weeks prior at Roland Garros, where Sinner and Paolini both reached the semi-finals on the Parisian clay.
Earlier, seven-time champion Djokovic moved into the semi-finals after Alex de Minaur had to withdraw from their quarter-final match due to a hip injury. Musetti and Djokovic have faced each other twice before in Grand Slam competitions, with both matches extending to five sets and Djokovic winning on both occasions at Roland Garros in 2021 and 2024.
