Lorenzo Musetti reaches his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon and will face Novak Djokovic

Lorenzo Musetti of Italy celebrates after defeating Taylor Fritz of the US in their quarterfinal match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London Wednesday. (AP)
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Updated 11 July 2024
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Lorenzo Musetti reaches his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon and will face Novak Djokovic

  • As Musetti pursues his first major championship, Djokovic seeks a 25th, including what would be an eighth at the All England Club
  • The other semifinal Friday is defending champion Carlos Alcaraz against Daniil Medvedev

LONDON: Lorenzo Musetti threw his head back and spread his arms wide to celebrate reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, then covered his face with both hands.

His 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday was a big deal, to be sure. After all, the 25th-seeded Musetti, a 22-year-old from Italy, never had made it past the third round at the All England Club — or past the fourth round at any major tournament — until this fortnight.

Now, though, comes a far tougher test: Taking on Novak Djokovic.

“He probably knows, better than me, the surface and the stadium, for sure,” Musetti said with a chuckle, aware he’ll be making his Center Court debut on Friday. “Jokes apart, he’s a legend everywhere, but especially here in Wimbledon.”

This will be Djokovic’s record-tying 13th semifinal at Wimbledon alone — equaling Roger Federer — and 49th Slam semifinal overall, extending a mark he already held. As Musetti pursues his first major championship, Djokovic seeks a 25th, including what would be an eighth at the All England Club.

Djokovic’s smooth trip through this year’s bracket was made even easier when the man he was supposed to play in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Alex de Minaur, pulled out with a hip injury hours before their match was scheduled to begin.

Musetti was forced to work for his spot in the final four: His 3 1/2-hour victory over the 13th-seeded Fritz was the 37th five-setter at the All England Club this year, the most at any Grand Slam tournament.

Musetti acknowledged he didn’t get off to an ideal start, in part because of nerves. But an early break in the second set helped alter the course of the evening.

“Immediately, I changed my mind. I changed my attitude,” he said. “And that probably made the difference.”

Musetti’s son, Ludovico, was born in March, and he said Wednesday that helped him rededicate himself to his sport and strive to no longer “throw away matches.”

“Instead of me teaching him, he’s teaching me. … Having a child makes you reflect a lot,” Musetti said. “I feel more mature on the court, more mature off the court, and more mature as a player, as a father, as a person.”

Playing at a sun-swathed No. 1 Court against Fritz, an American who is one of the sport’s biggest servers but fell to 0-4 in major quarterfinals, Musetti managed to accumulate 13 break points and convert six.

With Queen Camilla, the wife of King Charles III, in the stands and joining fans in doing the wave, Musetti did far more to vary his strokes — a drop shot here, a lob there, plenty of slices — than Fritz did.

“I just felt like it took a lot to finish the point,” Fritz said.

Djokovic had knee surgery less than a month before the start of play at the All England Club. But despite limitations on his movement, the 37-year-old Djokovic has dropped only two sets so far — facing a qualifier in the first round, a wild-card entrant in the second and only one seeded player, No. 15 Holger Rune.

Instead of going up against No. 9 de Minaur on Wednesday, Djokovic will get three full days off before meeting Musetti. The other semifinal Friday is defending champion Carlos Alcaraz against Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic and Musetti have played each other six times previously. Djokovic has won five of those, including a five-setter at this year’s French Open that concluded after 3 a.m. It was in Djokovic’s following match in Paris that he tore the meniscus in his right knee.

“We know each other pretty well. They’ve always been a huge fight so I expect a big, big fight. It’s going to be one of the toughest challenges on tour,” Musetti said, “but I am an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged.”

In the women’s quarterfinals Wednesday, 2022 champion Elena Rybakina grabbed nine of the last 11 games to defeat No. 21 Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2, and No. 31 Barbora Krejcikova eliminated No. 13 Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-6 (4) in a matchup between two past champions at the French Open.

The other women’s semifinal on Thursday is No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy against unseeded Donna Vekic of Croatia.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina ended her win with her seventh ace and improved to 19-2 at Wimbledon in four appearances.

“Definitely, I have an aggressive style of game,” Rybakina said. “I have a huge serve, so it’s a big advantage.”

Krejcikova won her first Grand Slam title on the red clay at Roland Garros in 2021, but the 28-year-old from the Czech Republic never put together a five-match winning streak on grass until now.

De Minaur’s exit is the latest due to injury in Week 2. His hip issue arose right at the end of his win against Arthur Fils on Monday.

De Minaur said he heard a crack and knew something was wrong.

He underwent medical tests Tuesday that revealed the extent of the problem but tried to practice on Wednesday morning, hoping to participate in what would have been his first Wimbledon quarterfinal.

“This was the biggest match of my career,” de Minaur said, “so wanted to do anything I could to play.”


Alcaraz beats Sinner again to win the Italian Open and solidify his status as French Open favorite

Updated 19 May 2025
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Alcaraz beats Sinner again to win the Italian Open and solidify his status as French Open favorite

  • Since last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times
  • Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976

ROME: There’s only one player who is consistently beating Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated the top-ranked Sinner again, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his resume.
Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times.
“Just proud about myself, the way that I approached the match mentally. Tactically think I did it pretty well from the first to the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I maintained my level during the whole match.”

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning the final against Italy's Jannik Sinner on Sunday. (REUTERS)

Alcaraz’s victory before Sinner’s home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian’s 26-match winning streak, which stretched back to October — when Alcaraz beat him in the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz now leads the career series 7-4.
It was Sinner’s first tournament back after a three-month doping ban.
“I’m just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level,” Alcaraz said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him coming back from three months without playing. Making the final here is something insane.”
Alcaraz also solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open, which starts next Sunday.
“On clay right now, you’re the best player,” Sinner said.
Added Alcaraz, “Beating Jannik, winning Rome. I think both things mixed together give you a great confidence coming to Paris. I always say that the final is not about playing, the final is about winning, to go for it. I just repeated (that to) myself all the time.”
Alcaraz spoils Sinner’s return
Sinner was playing his first tournament since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
In February, Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised questions, since the three-month suspension allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams, and come back at his home tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz hugs Jannik Sinner after winning the Italian Open title in Rome on final on May 18, 2025. (REUTERS)

Sinner said he and his team went through “three months that were anything but easy, so achieving this result already here is really big” and that “we should be really proud.”
He added: “We’re bringing home a very special trophy, even if I wanted the other one.”
Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He was also trying to complete a sweep of the Rome singles titles for Italy after Jasmine Paolini won the women’s trophy on Saturday.
Paolini and partner Sara Errani also defended their women’s doubles title earlier Sunday, making Paolini the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990 to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.
A large number of the 10,500 fans in Campo Centrale were decked out in orange — Sinner’s theme color — and they were chanting Sinner’s name before the match even began, and even after Sinner lost.
“You gave me a lot of energy, lot of courage to be here on court, I tried with everything I had,” Sinner told the crowd. “It was something very, very special. Thank you.”
Sinner also cracked a joke about offering “special thanks” to his brother, Mark, “who instead of being here, decided to go to Imola to watch Formula 1.”
 

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with his parents, Virginia Garfia Escandon and Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, after winning the final against Italy's Jannik Sinner on Sunday. (REUTERS)

Sinner wasted 2 set points
Sinner wasted two set points on Alcaraz’s serve when he led 6-5 in the first set and then Alcaraz jumped ahead in the tiebreaker with two aces and held on to seal it before cruising in the second set.
On Alcaraz’s third match point, Sinner ran down a drop shot but Alcaraz was waiting for his reply and hit a stretch volley winner into the open court.
Alcaraz then held his hands out wide and flashed a wide smile.
Alcaraz hit 19 winners to Sinner’s seven and only had one more unforced error than his opponent — 31-30. Half of Sinner’s errors came from his backhand, which is usually his most dependable shot.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will move back up to No. 2 in the rankings on Monday after his third final in three clay-court events this season. He won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished runner-up in the Barcelona Open before withdrawing from the Madrid Open because of injury.
Having also won the Madrid Open in 2022 and 2023, Alcaraz became the fifth man to win all three Masters 1000 clay events after Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios.


Sinner sends message by demolishing Ruud to reach Italian Open semis

Updated 15 May 2025
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Sinner sends message by demolishing Ruud to reach Italian Open semis

  • Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome
  • The 23-year-old demolished sixth seed Ruud in just over an hour with an ominous display of tennis

ROME: Jannik Sinner marched into the semifinals of the Italian Open on Wednesday after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 and sending a warning that the world number one is officially back.

Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in Madrid earlier this month.

In his previous matches Sinner looked to be still finding his feet after his suspension, accepted from the World Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.

But the 23-year-old demolished sixth seed Ruud in just over an hour with an ominous display of tennis, his domination such that the home fans at the packed center court, seemingly out of sympathy, began to cheer the rare points that Ruud won.

Ruud even got the loudest cheer of the match when he held his serve for the only time, in game three of the second set, holding his arms aloft in ironic celebration.

“I was feeling great on court today. I think we all saw that,” said Sinner.

“How I felt today was very, very positive signs for me... I was serving well and also returning well. Moving great on the court, so I’m very happy about that.”

Tommy Paul, a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 winner over Hubert Hurkacz in the day’s first match, will have wondered what on earth he can do to stop Sinner if the Italian brings that form to Friday’s last-four clash.

Sinner won the first set in just 27 minutes, giving up only seven points as he stalked the court with intent, dressed all in black as he has been all week.

And he then maintained his record of not dropping a set in the tournament to not so much stroll as smash into the last four, and send a message to Carlos Alcaraz.

Spaniard Alcaraz, Sinner’s key Grand Slam rival ahead of the French Open, will contest the other semifinal with Lorenzo Musetti on Friday afternoon, with the blockbuster final tennis fans wanted still on.

Home hope and sixth seed Paolini became the third Italian woman to reach the Foro Italico final, and the first since her doubles partner Sara Errani was thumped by Serena Williams in 2014.

Late bloomer Paolini, 29, will face one of Coco Gauff and China’s Zheng Qinwen, who beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday night, after beating Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-1.

“It’s a privilege to be in this position. I matured late as a tennis player but everyone has their own path. Some mature earlier and some later,” said Paolini.

“I’m just enjoying it without thinking too much about the past.”

Paolini was favorite to get past unseeded Stearns but early on her American opponent showed why she got to her first 1000 series semifinal by knocking out a succession of big names including Naomi Osaka and fifth seed Madison Keys.

Paolini looked way off the pace when she lost the first three games of the match in surprisingly timid fashion, serving weakly and mishitting a host of simple shots.

But she slowly began to force herself back into the contest, putting pressure on Stearns to find shots with her serving and finding both more power and accuracy on her forehand.

Stearns’ frustration was clear to see after being broken to allow Paolini to serve for the set, lashing her racket into her bag before giving herself a telling off in her seat.

And a break of serve in the third game of the second set deflated Stearns, whose fate was sealed two games later when Paolini took the third of three break points, roaring her joy to her delighted supporters in the center court stands before comfortably seeing out the match.

Paolini could yet win both the singles and women’s doubles tournaments, with her and Errani taking on Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the semifinals on Friday.


Alcaraz sets up Italian Open semifinal clash with Musetti, Sabalenka falls

Updated 15 May 2025
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Alcaraz sets up Italian Open semifinal clash with Musetti, Sabalenka falls

  • Madrid Open winner Sabalenka was sent packing in the quarterfinals by Chinese eighth-seed Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 6-3
  • Current world No. 2 and defending champion Zverev lose his Rome crown in addition to his ranking as he went down to home hope Musetti 7-6 (7/1), 6-4

ROME: Carlos Alcaraz set up a semifinal meeting with Lorenzo Musetti at the Italian Open on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jack Draper in the last eight, while women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was knocked out.

Madrid Open winner Sabalenka was sent packing in the quarterfinals by Chinese eighth-seed Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 6-3.

Third seed Alcaraz, meanwhile, produced what he called one of his best displays of the season to book a last four date with the man he beat in Monte Carlo last month.

The Spaniard’s impressive win over Draper kept alive his chances of a third title of the season and also moved him up to No. 2 in the world rankings behind Jannik Sinner.

“I lost focus a little bit in the second set but it wasn’t (for) too long, so it was pretty good,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner in search of a first Rome crown.

“Probably it was one of the most complete matches that I played this year.”

Alcaraz had to be at his best to down fifth seed Draper, who put in another strong showing on clay in Italy after losing the Madrid Open final to Casper Ruud.

The Briton lost control of the first set when, after taking a two-game lead, he was broken twice by Alcaraz who then took the lead in the match.

And Alcaraz made sure of victory by breaking Draper to love to go 5-4 ahead in the second set before serving out the match.

The day’s final match saw current world No. 2 and defending champion Zverev lose his Rome crown in addition to his ranking as he went down to home hope Musetti 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.

After trading breaks earlier in the set, Zverev looked set to seal the opener after breaking Musetti at 5-5 and then leading on his next service game 40-0.

But the Italian improbably saved four set points to force a tiebreak, which he swept 7-1 in front of a raucous center court.

An angered Zverev argued with the umpire in the second set but kept his cool on the court up to 4-4.

The German had looked the more likely to make a breakthrough until the ninth game when a stunning backhand winner gave Musetti break point, which he duly converted before holding to 30 to reach his third semi of the year on clay.

“I felt the adrenaline and energy from the first point, even if it was not an easy start, but I managed to come back and find a way, and that’s the key of this match,” said Musetti.

Ruud’s attempt at a Madrid and Rome double has a Sinner-shaped obstacle in its way after the world No. 7 won his postponed match with Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals where he will face the top seed on Thursday.

Sabalenka’s stunning clay-court form deserted her at the Foro Italico as she fell in straight sets to Olympic gold medalist Zheng.

It was seventh time lucky for the world No. 8 as she at last got the better of her Belarusian opponent with a confident display under the lights in Rome.

After surviving early pressure on her own serve, Zheng broke Sabalenka to take a 3-2 lead in the first set before serving out.

Zheng then pounced in Sabalenka’s first service game in the second frame to go up a break.

Sabalenka showed determination to make gritty holds in the fifth and seventh games of the set, but she could not make inroads on Zheng’s service as the 22-year-old powered into the semis.

“It’s been a long time I haven’t arrived in semifinals,” Zheng told Sky Sports after securing her first semifinal appearance of the season.

“It was not easy for me because at the beginning of the year I got some struggles with my arm.

“So right now I’m just perfectly in shape and trying to play better tennis all the time.”

Zheng will meet Coco Gauff in the last four after the American earlier beat Mirra Andreeva 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).

Gauff has guaranteed herself No. 2 in the women’s world rankings with her solid displays in Rome, where she saw off seventh seed Andreeva.

Former US Open winner Gauff said that she had “a lot of confidence” for the last four, where she will face an opponent against whom she holds a 2-0 record.

Gauff, 21, is looking for her first title of the season ahead of Roland Garros, after losing the Madrid final to Sabalenka.


Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

Updated 13 May 2025
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Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

BENGALURU: Andy Murray will no longer coach 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, with the pair’s high-profile partnership coming to an end after only six months, the Briton’s team announced on Tuesday.
Djokovic appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with Murray for an indefinite period.
However, the partnership will now end as Djokovic looks to arrest a dip in form during the clay season by competing in the Geneva Open next week, ahead of his quest for a fourth French Open title when Roland Garros gets underway on May 25.
“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement.
“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”
Djokovic, who won 25 of his 36 matches against Murray, said he was grateful for his former rival’s hard work and support in their short spell together.
“I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic added.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before injury ended his campaign. He made the Miami Open final in March but his bid for a 100th tour-level title ended in a defeat by Jakub Mensik.
The Serb, who turns 38 three days before the year's second Grand Slam begins, has been woefully out of form since that Miami defeat and was beaten in his opening matches at Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid last month.
He was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but skipped the ongoing Italian Open without giving a reason.
Djokovic accepted a wildcard for the May 18-24 Geneva Open.


Sinner wins in return from doping ban before home crowd at Italian Open

Updated 10 May 2025
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Sinner wins in return from doping ban before home crowd at Italian Open

  • The top-ranked player made a solid return from his three-month doping ban by beating 99th-ranked Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4
  • “Amazing feeling. I have waited quite long for this moment,” Sinner said

ROME: After a wait of more than 100 days, Jannik Sinner still knows how to win a tennis match.

The top-ranked player made a solid return from his three-month doping ban by beating 99th-ranked Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4 before an adoring home crowd at the Italian Open on Saturday.

It was Sinner’s first match since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

“Amazing feeling. I have waited quite long for this moment,” Sinner said. “I am very happy to be back.”

There weren’t too many signs of rust and it didn’t take long for Sinner to start crushing his groundstrokes on or near the lines. When the Italian broke for 3-1 in the first set, the crowd inside Campo Centrale sang “Ole, ole, ole, Sin-ner, Sin-ner.”

Many fans in the soldout crowd of 10,500 were dressed in orange, Sinner’s theme color. And there were plenty of signs that said “Bentornato Jannik” (“Welcome back Jannik”).

The victory extended Sinner’s winning streak to 22 matches, dating to October.

“It went very well at times,” he said. “Could be better, yes, but in any case it doesn’t matter about the result today. It has been a remarkable day for me.”

In February, Sinner agreed to the three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised some questions, since it conveniently allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams and come back at his home tournament.

The settlement was made after WADA appealed a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to fully exonerate Sinner for what it deemed to be an accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid in March 2024.

Many fellow pros feel Sinner was treated too lightly.

But the crowd at the Foro Italico night session was fully behind Sinner, who has remained Italy’s most popular athlete despite his suspension.

When Sinner unleashed a backhand approach winner up the line early in the first set — the game in which he eventually broke Navone’s serve — one Sinner fan yelled, “Destroy him.”

Another sign in the crowd translated to “Make our hearts beat.” One more referred to this week’s election of a new pope just down the road at the Vatican, joking that “After three months of conclave, Habemus Papam!” — using the Latin words that are announced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica when a pope is elected.

“The crowd was incredible,” Sinner said. “They always give me strength to continue even in tough times. So it was a very, very special moment.”

His only real lapse came late in the second set when he failed to consolidate a break and dropped his serve. But he broke again in the next game and then served the match out.

Sinner hit twice as many winners as Navone, 21-10; but had more unforced errors, 24-19.

“It’s very difficult to have the right feedback when you don’t have any matches,” Sinner said. “But exactly that’s what I need. Now I think the best practice is the match itself.”

Sinner will next face 93rd-ranked Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong, who beat 25th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-0, 6-2.

The last Italian man to win the Rome title was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Swiatek loses to Collins
In the women’s tournament, three-time champion Iga Swiatek was beaten by Danielle Collins 6-1, 7-5. The third-round loss marked Swiatek’s earliest defeat at a big WTA event in nearly four years.

Swiatek, the top clay-court player on the women’s tour, was coming off a lopsided loss to Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinals last week. She has 15 days to rediscover her form before the French Open starts on May 25.

Swiatek has won four of her five Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.