Paris Olympic Games 2024: Musetti Downs Reigning Champion Zverev To Reach Semi-finals

Lorenzo Musetti ended Alexander Zverev's Olympic gold-medal defence in straight sets to book a place in the semi-finals

Updated on: 1 August 2024 10:33 pm

Lorenzo Musetti in action at Paris 2024 Olympics

Team Italy's Lorenzo Musetti

Lorenzo Musetti ended Alexander Zverev's Olympic gold-medal defence in straight sets to book a place in the semi-finals. (More Tennis News)

The Italian was pushed all the way, but held strong to prevail 7-5 7-5 in just over two hours at Roland-Garros.

Zverev knew he was in for a tough day from the start, losing his serve in the opening game, and though he managed to claw back to draw 5-5, Musetti got another vital break to take the first set.

The pair matched each other throughout the second, but Musetti eventually found his edge with a three-game winning run when it mattered and wrapped up the match by serving to love.

He will face either former world number one Novak Djokovic or Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.

the summer of DREAMS! @Lorenzo1Musetti impressively takes down Zverev 7-5 7-5 to reach the semi-finals @Olympics | #tennis pic.twitter.com/uwZVhy3Kfq
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 1, 2024

Data Debrief: Musetti comes out on top

It was just the second-ever meeting between Musetti and Zverev, with the first coming to an early end when he had to retire through injury in Madrid in 2022.

He put that right today though, and becomes just?the third Italian player to reach the men's singles semi-finals at the Olympics in history after Uberto De Morpurgo (Paris 1924) and Paolo Cane?(Los Angeles 1984).