French Open Showdown 1: Alcaraz vs. Musetti on clay
At the clay Grand Slam, a high-profile showdown is about to take place. As the reigning French Open champion, Alcaraz is in peak form. He will face the tournament's No.8 seed Musetti in the semi-finals.
In Paris, he went through three four-set battles before coming out on fire in the quarter-finals, dropping just five games to sweep past Tommy Paul.
The match was his best performance in the last two weeks, and he hasn't won such a hearty victory since the first round of his 2024 French Open campaign. In the match, Alcaraz won 89% of his first serve points and did not face any break points throughout, as he himself said:
"I was able to score with my eyes closed and I felt unbelievable today. I try to go all out on every shot, not to think about anything else, just swing the racket. Today was the kind of game where everything was just right. ”
Paul's strength should not be underestimated, and his ATP instant ranking has risen to No. 8, a new career high. But Alcaraz's outstanding performance added another invincible momentum to him.
On the other side, Italy's Musetti is also menacing. He started his French Open campaign at a career-high ATP No. 7 and has risen to No. 6 in the rankings, with a win in the semi-finals jumping to No. 4.
Looking back at the history of Alcaraz and Musetti, Musetti has not beaten Alcaraz since their first meeting in the Hamburg 2022 final, a thrilling three-set match. Starting at the 2023 French Open, Alcaraz has won five of the six meetings between the two sides, dropping just one set.
However, Musetti is not without opportunities. At the Monte Carlo Masters in April, he led Alcaraz 6-3 in the first set of his first final ATP1000 Masters, but unfortunately suffered a right leg injury, and his form has since declined and he has not been able to win. A month later, in the semi-finals in Rome, Alcaraz used his steady play and tenacity to knock out the local darling 6-3, 7-6(4) in the semi-finals in Rome and eventually lift the trophy.
Should Alcaraz progress, he could face Sinner in the final, but before that, Musetti will be the first to challenge the defending champion. For Musetti, the key to an upset is to serve steadily. After offseason adjustments, his serve has improved significantly.
He said:
"We shortened the swing motion to increase control, which made me more confident in my technique. I used to have problems with consistency and throwing, but now I can play aces or use serve as a weapon even in difficult situations, which is a big change for my game. ”
Now, less than two months after Musetti reached his first final at the ATP1000 Masters, he only needs one more win to qualify for his first Grand Slam final.
Alcaraz, who is only 22 years old, is already a seven-time Masters champion and a four-time Grand Slam winner. The 23-year-old Musetti has managed to break into the top ranks of the contenders with a breakthrough season. This match will be the perfect opportunity for him to prove that he can beat the best opponents on the biggest stage, and it will be interesting to see whether Alcaraz will continue his reign or Musetti will come back from the fight.
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