Musetti marches through Hanfmann test

A final in Monte-Carlo followed by semi-finals in Madrid and Rome catapulted the entertaining 23-year-old into the top 10 for the first time.

A mesmerised crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier sat back and enjoyed watching the Italian demonstrate his talents on Sunday.

Story of the match

A backhand slice zipped off the terre battue to serve up the first piece of Musetti magic. However world No.142 Hanfmann, seeking his first Grand Slam win since RG 2023, was keeping pace with the No.8 seed over a catalogue of close-quarter rallies.

Down 4-5, Musetti sensed danger at 0-30 and was forced to dilute his hot shots to bring out more efficient, calculated play. It worked and Musetti took charge with three consecutive games.

Two majestic points at 2-2 gave the world No.7 the initiative in the second set. Firstly, Musetti sprinted forward to connect with a Hanfmann half volley, then regained his balance to clip away a mid-air backhand volley.

It got better.

Next up, the 23-year-old latched onto a forehand return at full stretch and blasted it down the line, providing the catalyst for the break and the decisive advantage.

Up 2-0 in the third set and Musetti was cupping his ear to the crowd to celebrate a sublime sliding backhand scooped past the qualifier Hanfmann. It was a top 10 shot for sure.

This pair last duelled in the Madrid Masters two years ago and Musetti prevailed 6-4, 7-6(3). A lot has changed since then and the Italian dominated down the home straight to rubber stamp his development into a major contender.

Key stats

Due to his captivating run of results, Musetti is now 15-3 on clay courts this year. Only Francisco Cerundolo (19) has managed more wins on the surface over the same period.

The Italian hailed his serve as “key” to his straight-sets triumph. Landing 46 out of 70 first serves, Musetti will be pleased to learn he won 83 per cent of those points.

He claimed 63 per cent of points on his second serve and didn’t face a single break point to threaten an impressive performance.

Musetti’s assessment

Playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier: “I felt a big pressure, being the first man to start on here this year. To have the first men’s match on this court is an incredible honour for me. I’ve played many beautiful matches and I have really great memories on this court, so it was a very special win for me.”

His recent form: “This last month has been incredible, I’ve reached many of my goals. The best is yet to come. I think I managed to find a way to ‘click,’ that I needed to make a step forward in the ranking and in my level. I’m here to show it.”

On playing before Nadal’s ceremony: “Maybe I should have a brown t-shirt…  It was even tougher entering the court, knowing that after my match was this big tribute to Rafa, who has been such an inspiration, the ‘King of Clay.’

“The word that defines Rafa the most is ‘warrior,’ he was such a fighter. He showed, especially here, winning 14 times, even saying it is ridiculous. His mentality, his attitude, his work ethic, he’s an icon. He represents everything that tennis means to me.

“He needs all of the love that he is going to receive and I’m very happy for him.”

Memories with Nadal: "I played once against him in practice in Jean Bouin [stadium] here in Roland-Garros. I think I lost the set 6-1 or 6-0. I was pretty scared about how he was playing. I was 18, 19. I think it was my first Roland-Garros. Was such an honour for me to share the court with him.

"But I remember one that was really nice from him to myself when I got my first ATP win in Rome against Wawrinka [2020]. The day after I was practising, he went behind my back and he said something in Spanish, congratulations, nice match, something like that. For me I was shaking.

"Really nice to see and to be the match that was before the ceremony."