Lorenzo Musetti he failed to become the second Italian to triumph at the ATP 500 tournament at Queen’s after the two successes obtained by Matteo Berrettini in 2021 and 2022. The tennis player from Carrara surrendered to an impeccable Tommy Paul with the score 1-6, (8) 6-7 in an hour and 28 minutes in a final that saw the 27 year old from Voorhees manage the important points better in the decisive moment.
The blue certainly could have done something more, especially in the first set, but Paul didn’t allow him to play his game by showing enviable athleticism. Musetti will still be able to look to the future with optimism and believe more in himself by taking advantage of a week capable of giving him part of that confidence that now seemed lost and which already Roland Garros she was knocking on his door again.
ATP Queen’s – Lorenzo Musetti surrenders in the final: Tommy Paul triumphs in 2 sets
Paul can celebrate a double milestone: in addition to scoring his third career title, he will become the new American number one by surpassing Taylor Fritz in the ATP rankings.
The American got off to a great start and immediately broke Musetti by cutting in with his backhand and forcing the Italian to hit a complicated slice, which then ended in the net. In the third game he saved a break point with a perfect drop shot and then closed the set with another convincing return game at 4-1, when he wrong-footed Musetti with a running forehand.
In the second half of the game, both held the serve without worries until 3-3: Paul exerted strong pressure on Musetti, who ended up sending the backhand wide. The 22-year-old reacted with all his pride and caught an extraordinary winning return with his backhand on the counter break chance offered to him by Paul at 4-5.
It was an intense and exciting tie-break that wrote the final words. Musetti erased a match point, but was unable to do anything about the set point available because Paul placed an excellent first. On the third attempt, the American closed the match.
