Musetti beats De Minaur in thriller to stay alive in Turin

Turin, Nov 12 (IANS) Lorenzo Musetti earned his maiden victory at the ATP Tour finals when he battled past Alex de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in a thriller.

Musetti mounted a stunning comeback from 3-5 down in the deciding set to move to 1–1 in the Jimmy Connors Group and keep his qualification hopes firmly intact.

Musetti will face the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Carlos Alcaraz in his third match on Thursday. The Spaniard, aiming to win the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, is 2-0 this week, having beaten De Minaur and Fritz. All four players can still qualify for the semi-finals.

The 23-year-old Italian sealed victory on his second match point when he blasted a forehand winner pass on the run before he celebrated with his team courtside, ATP reports.

After fading in the second set, Musetti rediscovered his spark when it mattered most. He recovered from losing a breathtaking 31-shot rally at 4–3, 30/30, one that featured a forehand tweener and left both players flat on the court, before mounting a dramatic late charge.

When De Minaur served for the match, Musetti struck back to break, then rode a wave of momentum and noise to seal one of the biggest wins of his season after two hours and 47 minutes.

Competing in the ATP Tour Finals for the first time, Musetti qualified on the back of a career-best campaign. He reached finals in Monte-Carlo, Chengdu and most recently, Athens last week, compiling a 45–21 record on the season, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index.

Before 2025, the Italian had never recorded more than 40 tour-level wins in a single year, a milestone he has now left well behind.

--IANS

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