Lorenzo Musetti knows no bounds. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

Musetti's Madrid fairytale continues

Lorenzo Musetti won against Gabriel Diallo in the quarterfinals in Madrid – and now dreams of a major coup.

01 May 2025

From: do

In Jannik Sinner's absence, Musetti has more than defended the honor of Italian tennis. The 23-year-old from Carrara reached the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time on Wednesday with his quarterfinal appearance in Madrid. But that was far from the end for the talented player. On Thursday evening, he clearly defeated Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-3, advancing to the semifinals of the Masters 1000 tournament. There he will now face Jack Draper.

It wasn't an easy match for Musetti, who initially trailed by a break in the first set. However, he then turned around and won four consecutive games to clinch the set. In the second set, an early break proved to be the key to success – Musetti extended his lead and sealed the victory in the end.

Diallo couldn't annoy Musetti for long. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

"I didn't play my best tennis today, but the only thing that mattered was the win," Musetti said after the match. "I knew it would be mentally tough, but I stayed focused until the very last point." If the Azzurro wins the tournament, he could even jump to number 7 in the ATP rankings. It would also be his first Masters 1000 triumph.

No togetherness in the semifinals

The quarterfinals for the second Azzurro were different. Matteo Arnaldi was clearly defeated by Jack Draper – the new No. 5 in the world rankings – who defeated him 77-6, 0-6 in just 4 minutes. After the coup against Novak Djokovic, the Italian was unable to counter the strong Briton. Draper thus advanced to the semifinals, where he will now face Musetti.

Matteo Arnaldi had to retire. © ANSA / CHEMA MOYA

On the other side of the tournament bracket, Casper Ruud and Francisco Cerundolo advanced to the second semifinal. The Norwegian triumphed against Russian Daniil Medvedev 6:3, 7:5, while the Argentinian eliminated Czech Jakub Mensik in three sets, winning 3:6, 7:6(5), 6:2.