Fils sends Musetti’s comeback crashing with a first Barcelona semi-final
Arthur Fils won against Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. He’ll face the winner of the match between Englishman Cameron Norrie, the No 7 seed, and Spaniard Rafael Jodar in the next round
Lorenzo Musetti, Barcelona 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Arthur Fils, the No 9 seed, ended Lorenzo Musetti’s brief return to form with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Friday, the Italian second seed unable to win a set as the Frenchman advanced to the last four in 86 minutes.
The 24-year-old Italian had not won a tour-level match in nearly three months before arriving in Barcelona, a stretch that included a retirement against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January while leading by two sets, a first-round loss to Marton Fucsovics on his return in Indian Wells, a withdrawal from Miami with a right arm problem, and a first-round exit to Valentin Vacherot at Monte-Carlo.
First wins since Melbourne
Wins over Martin Landaluce and Corentin Moutet earlier in the week had suggested he was finding his feet again on clay.
With top seed Carlos Alcaraz already out of the tournament with a wrist injury, the quarter-final carried added significance in shaping an open draw. Musetti, ranked No 9, was the highest remaining seed and had been spoken of as a genuine title contender. He created no break-point opportunities across the entire match, a damning statistic on a surface where he had been one of the tour’s best performers a year ago.
Fils played with confidence, outlasting the Italian on the backhand exchanges in the key moments. “Everyone waits for the big serve and big forehand, but I have a good backhand and can stay there without missing a backhand. I was happy with the performance today, pretty solid throughout,” Fils said. “With Lorenzo, it is always very tough because he can change the rhythm. He does a slice and then one with spin. It is a lot of mix. I tried to be very aggressive on the court.”
Fils – Jodar next
Fils was sidelined for eight months with a back injury before returning in February. Since coming back he has reached the final in Doha, the quarter-finals in Indian Wells and the semi-finals in Miami.
He will face unseeded Spaniard Rafael Jodar in the semi-finals on Saturday. The 19-year-old extended his winning streak to eight matches with a 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of Briton Cameron Norrie, the No 7 seed, becoming just the fifth Spanish teenager in the Open Era to reach the Barcelona semi-finals, following Alex Corretja, Carlos Moya, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Jodar and Fils have no previous head-to-head record on the main tour.
