Tennis: Musetti disgusts Zverev and will meet Alcaraz in the semi-final in Rome

Lorenzo Musetti tames Alexander Zverev. The Italian (9th) overcame the world number 2 on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome to secure a tantalizing reunion in the last four with the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (3rd).

The bronze medalist at the Paris Games, the first Italian to reach the quarter-finals of the three Masters 1000 clay courts in the same season (Monte-Carlo, Rome, Madrid), won 7-6, 6-4 against the defending champion after a high-flying battle in which he enchanted the spectators at the Central Court with his suave drop shots and sumptuous passing shots.

A month after his three-set defeat to Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final, a match he finished injured, Musetti is preparing to face the four-time Grand Slam champion again in the semifinals in Rome. The Spaniard leads 4-1 in their duels.

A few days before Roland-Garros (May 25-June 8), the Italian signed his third victory in four matches against Zverev on Wednesday, his only defeat being due to a retirement.

Broken twice in the first set, at 1-1 then at 5-5, Musetti systematically responded, saving four set points before dominating the tie-break, winning 7/1 after 1h11 of combat.

In the extremely tight second set, the 23-year-old Italian converted his only break point of the set at 4-4 to take the lead and then snatch victory on his serve, thanks to a final serve-volley sequence.

World number 11 and Musetti's compatriot, Jannik Sinner , will try to reach the semi-finals on Thursday against Casper Ruud (7th). The last quarter-final will pit American Tommy Paul (12th) against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz (31st).