‘I’m a fighter’ – Mussetti beats De Minaur in ATP final, sends them home ecstatic – Tennis Now
On a dramatic day at the 2025 ATP Finals, Lorenzo Musetti saved the best for last.
The 23-year-old came close to a double break twice in the final, but harnessed the energy of Partizan Turin fans to stage a fiery comeback, beating Alex De Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in the final four games.
warrior mode
Facing a tired and determined De Minaur, the Italian looked set to return empty-handed for the second consecutive time on his Nitto ATP Finals debut. In the deciding set, De Minaur got a break point, completed a double break with a score of 4-1, and once again completed a double break with a score of 5-2, but Musetti resolved both break points and used the momentum gained to win the first victory of his career at the ATP Finals.
It would go down as one of the biggest wins of Musetti’s burgeoning career.
After the victory, he was still in high spirits, ecstatic about the experience of entertaining his hometown crowd with a spectacular game of tennis.
“I was really struggling physically because Alex was upping the intensity, so I was trying to find a solution, but finally, with a great heart and a lot of passion for the game – I don’t know where – I started feeling better and playing better, and the support from the crowd was really amazing, so I have to thank them all,” Musetti said.
Musetti became the third Italian player to win a match at the ATP Finals. He will face Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday as he now has hopes of reaching the semi-finals – all four players in Jimmy Connors’ group still have a chance to advance.
“Honestly, I’m a fighter,” Musetti said. “I think I’ve improved a lot mentally and of course I’m pushing myself to the limit because I play every game with top players and I know the next game is against Carlos. I know how difficult it is, especially in this situation – I’m going to try to enjoy and fight like I did today.”
Musetti’s joy was De Minaur’s heartbreak. The Australian dropped to 0-5 in the tour’s season-ending tournament and must be wondering what he has to do to win at the ATP Finals. The first Australian player to qualify for singles since Leyton Hewitt in 2004, De Minaur was eliminated on his debut last year, losing all three round-robin rounds.
He will try to get on the board against Tyler Fritz on Thursday.
Tuesday’s thrill ride had no shortage of highlight material. A point from a match that could go into the top 10 in 2025, a 31-shot match won by a De Minaur smash that ended with both players exhausted on the pitch.
Musetti hit 22 winners on the day, while De Minaur hit 34. The difference was in unforced errors, with the Australian hitting 44 winners to Musetti’s 28. Ultimately, the gap between the two players wasn’t that big.
It comes down to will and nerves, and surprisingly Musetti performed better.
De Minaur held serve at 5-4 and entered the tiebreaker at 5-6, but could not resist Musetti, who had already found a second opportunity. The crowd inside the Inalpi Arena erupted as the world No. 9 finished the two-hour, 47-minute match with a brilliant pass.
Musetti immediately walked into the crowd, found his team and hugged them while his long-time girlfriend watched with tears in her eyes.
Musetti has a 6-9 record against the top 10 this year, and the Italian is one of four players to have that many wins against the top 10 in 2025, along with Jannik Sinner (15), Carlos Alcaraz (15) and Alexander Bublik (6).
