Lorenzo Musetti scored his first victory at the Shanghai Masters. The 8th seed faced Francisco Comesana in the second round and scored a 6-4, 6-0 victory in an hour and 27 minutes.
Thus, the Italian provided his 18th Masters 1000 victory of the season, standing as Carlos Alcaraz's closest follower, with world no. 1 collecting 21 triumphs at the premium ATP level.
Comesana fought well in the opener but faded from the court in the second set after struggling in challenging conditions, like many players in Shanghai this week.
Lorenzo clinched 21 points more than his rival and outplayed him on serve and return. The 8th seed dropped 11 points in eight service games, offering his rival no break chances and sending the pressure to the other side.
Comesana served at 54% and gave serve away four times from nine chances presented to his opponent. Musetti landed 18 winners and eight unforced errors. He took charge from the baseline and forged a massive advantage in the mid-range exchanges from five to eight strokes.
The Argentine faced two break points in the third game of the match and denied them with winners. He landed a half-volley winner in the seventh game and moved 4-3 in front.
Lorenzo closed the eighth game at 30 and made a push on the return in the next one. Comesana missed a routine volley on a break point, losing serve at 15 and sending his rival in front.
The Italian landed a crafty winner at 5-4, wrapping up the opening set in style in 47 minutes. Francisco took an extended toilet break ahead of the second set and dropped serve in the first game after Lorenzo's volley winner at the net.
The Italian cemented the lead with a smash in game two and painted a backhand crosscourt return winner in the next one for another break and a 3-0 lead. The 8th seed closed the fourth game with a forced error and extended his streak.
Musetti provided another break in the fifth game with a volley winner at the net. Comensana fell to the ground ahead of the sixth game and received medical help. He continued, and Lorenzo held at 30 at 5-0, rattling off nine games and racing over the top.
