Pushing for Turin

Musetti is desperate for points, and he is defending finalist points here...

Musetti is coming off a QF run in the USO, but let's be honest... his draw was very easy! Mpetshi Perricard (he sucks in slams), out-of-form Goffin, exhausted Cobolli, sick? Munar, before finally getting Sinner'd. Nonetheless, good for him! He has the perfect playstyle to capitalize against weaker players; his serve and forehand have improved, and his defensive skills are outstanding, a combination that makes him very hard to beat. Prizmic had a tough time against Moutet in Davis Cup, but managed to take advantage of Atmane not being in his best shape for his first-round victory here.

Prizmic has really struggled on the main tour, and this match won't be easy for him, especially since Musetti wants to be in Turin at the end of the year! At least Musetti won't be blowing him off the court the same way Rublev did at the US Open, but I'm not sure if facing someone with Musetti's defensive skills will be much easier for Dino... It feels like the things that he can do, Musetti can do better. I'm not sure in which areas he has the advantage. I wonder if he will be able to rush him, at least a bit, especially his BH and on the return shot - that's been Musetti's weakness on hardcourt for a while. If Musetti is able to get settled in the rallies, it's hard for him to turn it around, since Musetti has the biggest weapon on the court with his FH. And Musetti has played here for two years in a row, making the SF and then the final. It was not against the best opposition, but still, it's something...