Lorenzo Musetti has had a wild match. © APA/afp / DIMITAR DILKOFF

Delicate scene: Musetti shines and risks disqualification

The first semifinalist of the French Open has been confirmed: Lorenzo Musetti from Italy. However, the Azzurro was lucky not to be disqualified in his quarterfinal.

June 03, 2025

From: det

This Lorenzo Musetti is delighting and astonishing Italian tennis fans. The 23-year-old from Carrara is in the form of his life and advanced to the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in his career on Tuesday. Musetti delivered a brilliant performance against American Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

This also means that "Lore" – currently No. 7 in the world – will move up to No. 6 in the ATP rankings starting next week. In the semifinals, Musetti will face Carlos Alcaraz, who secured his ticket to the semi-finals in a furious manner that evening.

Musetti shoots linesman

However, there was one incident during his quarterfinal victory against Tiafoe on Tuesday that caused quite a stir. Musetti risked disqualification. When the Azzurro was going through a difficult phase in the second set, he kicked a ball lying on the ground – and hit a line judge in the face. Musetti immediately noticed his mistake and apologized. He also received a warning from the referee.



Tempers flared, especially online, as comparisons were immediately drawn to the 2020 US Open. That time, Novak Djokovic also unintentionally shot a line judge—not with his foot, but with his racket. The line judge fell to the ground in pain, and Djokovic was disqualified for the move.

Becker defends Musetti, the opponent does not

Musetti, meanwhile, got off with a warning – which is fine for tennis legend Boris Becker. "You can't disqualify him for something like that. This action is not comparable to Djokovic's," Becker said at Eurosport. Meanwhile, opponent Tiafoe didn't like the scene at all, but he didn't waste much time on it at the press conference – saying only: "I don't think it's consistent."

Musetti probably doesn't care about any of that. He's still riding the wave of success and, after reaching the semifinals at the Masters in Rome, has also reached the semifinals in Paris. Incidentally, this is Musetti's second time reaching the top four in a Grand Slam tournament. He already achieved this feat at Wimbledon in 2024.