Spoiler:
Greek sets up final blockbuster against Zverev
Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the dream run of qualifier Lorenzo Musetti on Friday night for a place in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC final.
Top seed Tsitsipas didn’t let the #NextGenATP Italian settle and completed a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 79 minutes for a place in his 13th ATP Tour final (5-7), where he will face second-seeded German Alexander Zverev. The Greek will now attempt to capture his first ATP 500 trophy.
"Matches like this are really important and I'm happy to be playing well," said Tsitsipas. "Acapulco has been treating me really well and the fans have been giving me love and support. We'll definitely see a lot from Lorenzo in the future, he has a wonderful one-handed backhand and creates lots of opportunities. He showed his level this week."
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Tsitsipas leads Zverev 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their last match coming at the 2020 ATP Cup. Zverev beat fellow German Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.
"I am really looking forward to the final," said Tsitsipas. "Sascha is someone I've played against in the past and it's never easy. We're both really hungry and we're both very competitive."
It will be the first time that the top two seeds have contested the Acapulco final since 2015, when No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated top-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5.
How To Watch
Tsitsipas ran through the first set, not allowing Musetti to play his own free-flowing game. The Greek won five straight games from 1-1 and at the end of the 33-minute opener, Musetti received on-court treatment.
Musetti continued to use the drop shot as an offensive weapon and attempted to draw Tsitsipas to the net as a target to strike past, but after seven matches this week, the Italian continued to make costly errors. At 3-3 in the second set, Tsitsipas broke serve after Musetti could not control a powerful forehand at the net.
Tsitsipas extended his stay in Acapulco, completing his fourth victory, when Musetti hit a short backhand into the net. The Greek, who barely put a foot wrong, won 22 of his 26 first-service points and struck 17 of his 23 winners off his forehand. He will now look to capture his sixth ATP Tour crown on Saturday against Zverev.
Musetti, who was playing only his 12th tour-level match, beat World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman in the Acapulco first round, and followed it up with victories over Frances Tiafoe in the second round, and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old will break into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.
Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the dream run of qualifier Lorenzo Musetti on Friday night for a place in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC final.
Top seed Tsitsipas didn’t let the #NextGenATP Italian settle and completed a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 79 minutes for a place in his 13th ATP Tour final (5-7), where he will face second-seeded German Alexander Zverev. The Greek will now attempt to capture his first ATP 500 trophy.
"Matches like this are really important and I'm happy to be playing well," said Tsitsipas. "Acapulco has been treating me really well and the fans have been giving me love and support. We'll definitely see a lot from Lorenzo in the future, he has a wonderful one-handed backhand and creates lots of opportunities. He showed his level this week."
You May Also Like: Tsitsipas Grateful For Acapulco Support: 'The Crowd Show Me Love & Dedication'
Tsitsipas leads Zverev 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their last match coming at the 2020 ATP Cup. Zverev beat fellow German Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.
"I am really looking forward to the final," said Tsitsipas. "Sascha is someone I've played against in the past and it's never easy. We're both really hungry and we're both very competitive."
It will be the first time that the top two seeds have contested the Acapulco final since 2015, when No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated top-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5.
How To Watch
Tsitsipas ran through the first set, not allowing Musetti to play his own free-flowing game. The Greek won five straight games from 1-1 and at the end of the 33-minute opener, Musetti received on-court treatment.
Musetti continued to use the drop shot as an offensive weapon and attempted to draw Tsitsipas to the net as a target to strike past, but after seven matches this week, the Italian continued to make costly errors. At 3-3 in the second set, Tsitsipas broke serve after Musetti could not control a powerful forehand at the net.
Tsitsipas extended his stay in Acapulco, completing his fourth victory, when Musetti hit a short backhand into the net. The Greek, who barely put a foot wrong, won 22 of his 26 first-service points and struck 17 of his 23 winners off his forehand. He will now look to capture his sixth ATP Tour crown on Saturday against Zverev.
Musetti, who was playing only his 12th tour-level match, beat World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman in the Acapulco first round, and followed it up with victories over Frances Tiafoe in the second round, and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old will break into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.
