Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti will compete on Thursday night at the ATP Finals in Turin. It's the third round-robin match, and it carries lot of weight for both players.
World no. 1 will try to wrap up the group stage with a 3-0 score and secure his second year-end no. 1 honor ahead of Jannik Sinner. If Alex de Minaur defeats Taylor Fritz in th first match, the Spaniard will book a place in the semi-final regardless of his result.
Still, he will try to add 200 ATP points more to his tally and likely avoid Jannik Sinner in the semi-final. On the other hand, Lorenzo Musetti has been through a lot in the previous days.
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The Italian lost Saturday's ATP 250 final in Athens to Novak Djokovic after three hours. Thus, he missed the ATP Finals berth but still entered the home event for the first time when the Serb withdrew.
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Lorenzo lost the opening match in Turin to Taylor Fritz, performing only two days after the Athens final and lacking energy. However, he somehow recovered and faced Alex de Minaur a day later.
The home player provided a notable 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 triumph in two hours and 48 minutes for his first ATP Finals victory. Musetti stayed in contention for a place in the semi-final, but he has to beat Alcaraz on Thursday, which is easier said than done.
The Italian leads their head to head 7-1, including this year's victories. Carlos is the favorite, but Lorenzo hopes to cause a miracle backed by the home support.
He knows very well how tough it is to challenge world no. 1, even on an indoor surface, but he seems ready to give his best and seek another notable win in the closing stages of the season.
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"The victory over Alex gives me a lot of confidence and highlights the work I'm presenting. I can still reach the semi-final, which is great, although a large part of those chances will depend on my performance against Carlos.
It will be the toughest match in the group. I know him very well because we have already faced each other several times, including this season. I'm sure of one thing ahead of the match.
I will be the crowd favorite, and I hope they can help me pull off a miracle. Carlos does not feel as comfortable on this surface as on clay. However, it's still very hard to beat him," Lorenzo Musetti said.
