Taylor Fritz throws cold water on Lorenzo Musetti’s Nitto ATP Finals debut | ATP Tour
match report
Fritz throws cold water on Musetti’s Nitto ATP Finals debut
Team USA won 6-3, 6-4
November 10, 2025
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Taylor Fritz reached the final in Turin last year.
Sam Jacott
Taylor Fritz spoiled Lorenzo Musetti’s debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in emphatic fashion on Monday, silencing a packed crowd at Turin’s Inalpi Arena with a brilliant performance. The U.S. team blended discipline and controlled offense, commanding the game from the baseline, and ultimately defeated Italy 6-3, 6-4.
Fritz has a strong pedigree in the season finale, reaching the championship game last year and reaching the semifinals in his 2022 debut. The 28-year-old arrived in northern Italy a week ago, in stark contrast to Musetti, who only arrived in Turin on Sunday after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Athens final on Saturday night.
After a full week of preparation, Fritz looked more comfortable in indoor conditions. The sixth seed entered the baseline early to grab the ball, changed pace and pushed Musetti to the back foot. Although the Italian excelled in the scrum, he retreated for much of the game and was unable to regain control from Fritz’s penetrating flat ball.
“I’m really happy. I think I did a good job,” Fritz said. “I did a good job at the beginning of the match, getting out of trouble and saving some break points. I played well throughout the second set and had a lot of break opportunities, but I didn’t get them. I’m really happy that I was able to serve and that it didn’t come back and ruin it.”
Fritz posted a 9.20 against Musetti, well above his 2025 Tour average of 8.28. After winning the first set strongly, the American got a crucial break at 1-1 in the second set, with Musetti hitting two consecutive doubles at 40/30 before backhanding the ball wide while defending the break point. Fritz then kept his composure on serve, winning 5-4 from 0-30 after 1 hour and 43 minutes.
“Every time I come here I like the conditions and it’s easy to be motivated,” said Fritz when asked about his impressive record in Turin. “You can lock in that it’s the last tournament of the year and the ATP Finals, which is a big thing.”
Fritz is currently 1-0 in the Jimmy Connors group and will also face Carlos Alcaraz and Alex De Minaur in the round robin in Turin. Alcaraz, who is chasing his first Nitto ATP Finals title, defeated De Minaur on Sunday to begin his final push to win the year-end ATP No. 1 ranking awarded by the PIF.
According to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index, Fritz has a 52-21 record this season, with notable wins in Eastbourne and Stuttgart. The world number six is 3-3 in the Lexus ATP series against Musetti, the pair’s first meeting in 2025.
Musetti had the best season of his career, qualifying for the year-end events for the first time and advancing to the Tour finals in Monte Carlo, Chengdu and Athens. The 23-year-old competes in Turin alongside compatriot and world number two Jannik Sinner. Defending champion Sinner will begin action against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday night.
