Musetti wins thriller, reaches first Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo

Lorenzo Musetti advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 final on Saturday, when he earned a comeback win against resilient Australian Alex de Minaur at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

In wet conditions in The Principality, Musetti responded well after losing the opening set. The 23-year-old caused De Minaur problems with his court craft and recovered from failing to serve out at 5-3 in the decider to eventually earn a dramatic 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win.

“I always struggle to start and find a rhythm but today Alex was playing really solid and the conditions were hard. It was slow today with the rain and was not easy to break through the Alex wall. I started to be more patient and that was the key,” Musetti said after improving to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against De Minaur.

The Italian defeated three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsiaps in the quarter-finals to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final and now is just one win away from clinching his third tour-level title and first since 2022 after earning his 10th Top 10 win.

The 23-year-old has demonstrated impressive clay-court pedigree in the past. He won the bronze medal on the surface at the Paris Olympics last season, defeated Novak Djokovic in Monte-Carlo in 2023 and lifted the title at the ATP 500 in Hamburg in 2022.

Musetti will aim to eclipse all of those achievements on Sunday, when he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the championship match on Sunday, which is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. CEST.

“The confidence is something that you have to experience to believe,” Musetti said. “It is something really remarkable, sharing these beautiful moments with my friends and family. It is my home and I feel at home.”

De Minaur was aiming to reach his second Masters 1000 final. The Australian earned standout straight-set wins against Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov this week but misfired on the forehand in the third set against Musetti, running out of steam in his third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the 23-year-old.

In an entertaining clash, Musetti opened his shoulders to hit freely in the heavy Monte-Carlo conditions, pulling De Minaur from side to side. After dropping the first set, the Italian began to find the corners with more consistency and produced moments of magic, hitting a number of stunning winners off both wings to triumph after two hours and 38 minutes. He is up two spots to No. 11 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career high on Monday.