Italian Open: Musetti Sets Up Alcaraz Showdown with Zverev Win

Italian Open: Lorenzo Musetti stuns Alexander Zverev to reach the semifinals, where he'll face world number one Carlos Alcaraz in a highly anticipated match.

Lorenzo Musetti stunned defending Italian Open champion Alexander Zverev on Wednesday to set up a semi-final meeting with Carlos Alcaraz in Rome.

The day's final match saw current world number two and defending champion Zverev lose his Rome crown in addition to potentially falling in the rankings as he went down to home hope Musetti 7-6(1), 6-4.

Alexander Zverev appeared poised to take control, breaking Lorenzo Musetti at 5-5 and reaching 40-0 on his next service game. However, Musetti staged an improbable comeback, saving four set points to force a tiebreaker. The Italian then dominated the tiebreaker, winning it 7-1 in front of a vocal crowd.

Another MAGNIFICENT match from Musetti 😱

Lorenzo becomes the first man to reach three consecutive 1000 semifinals in 2025!#IBI25 pic.twitter.com/w1oU66nMsx

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 14, 2025

Alexander Zverev's frustration grew in the second set, leading to an argument with the umpire. Despite his growing irritation, Zverev maintained his composure on the court until 4-4. However, the momentum shifted when Lorenzo Musetti hit a stunning backhand passing shot in the ninth game, earning him a break point, which he converted. Musetti then held his serve to 30, securing a spot in the semifinals.

Third seed Carlos Alcaraz described his win over Jack Draper as one of his best displays of the season, securing a semifinal spot. This sets up a meeting with Lorenzo Musetti, whom Alcaraz recently defeated in Monte Carlo.

The victory keeps Alcaraz's chances alive for a third title this season and propels him to number two in the world rankings, behind Jannik Sinner.