Musetti marches past Diallo in Madrid without showing his ‘best tennis’
The Italian moves into his second Masters 1000 semi-final
Laurent Lairys / PsnewZ
Lorenzo Musetti defeated Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters.
The victory marks the Italian’s ninth win in his last 10 matches, with the exception being the final of the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters – which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
Musetti’s deep return position, often several meters behind the baseline, proved effective against the extremely tall Canadian, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser.
“I probably didn’t show my best tennis, but the important thing of this match was to take the win no matter how I was playing,” Musetti admitted. “Of course I didn’t feel the ball like last night, but I knew it already stepping on court that today was a tough match, especially on the mental side, so I think I managed to stay there and stay focused through the last point. Proud to be in the semis.”
I probably didn’t show my best tennis, but the important thing of this match was to take the win
The Italian has a 0-3 head-to-head against the Brit, with all of the meetings coming on Draper’s favoured indoor hard courts.
“I always say, ‘There is always a first time’, so hopefully it’s coming here,” Musetti joked. “We are close friends. We grew up together playing, so it’s really nice to share this kind of stage. I know Jack is having a tremendous season so far, so I’m really happy for him. Tomorrow is going to be a fight, so hopefully I can put him in a difficult situation.”
The victor of their semi-final meeting will meet either Casper Ruud or Francisco Cerundolo in the Madrid Masters final.
