Alcaraz, Musetti off to strong start at Italian Open

(Dan Tri) - Carlos Alcaraz won 6-3, 6-3 against Dusan Lajovic in his opening match at the Italian Open in Rome on the evening of May 9. The Spanish player had his 25th win of the season.

Alcaraz missed last month's ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid with an adductor injury, and took to the court with a knee brace in his Rome opener against Lajovic. However, the Spaniard moved with ease at Campo Centrale, defeating the Serbian with a combination of power and delicate touch.

"My body feels great. I moved well and did some good sprints today without any pain, which was great. It was a big challenge and I think I overcame it. I tried to feel more comfortable on the pitch, move and not think about the injury," Alcaraz said after the match.

Alcaraz made a strong comeback in Rome (Photo: Getty).

The third seed won 20 match points in an 82-minute victory and now leads Lajovic 5-0 in the pair's head-to-head. He will face Laslo Djere in the third round after the Serb beat Estoril champion Alex Michelsen 6-0, 6-3.

Lorenzo Musetti continued his impressive form by beating qualifier Otto Virtanen 6-3, 6-2 in 86 minutes. Musetti delighted the home crowd with some stunning shots and is 18-4 on clay since the Olympics last July, when he won bronze.

Musetti reached the final in Monte Carlo and the semi-finals in Madrid. The Italian has produced his best form at the ATP Masters 1000 events on clay this season. The world No. 9 will next face American Brandon Nakashima in the next round.

Musetti plays comfortably at home (Photo; Getty).

Earlier, home player Francesco Passaro continued his unbeaten run against Top 30 opponents with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Grigor Dimitrov. The wildcard impressed on his first serve, winning 83% of his points and coming back from a break in the first set, much to the delight of the home crowd. After improving to 4-0 against Top 30 players, Passaro will next play Karen Khachanov, who defeated Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-musetti-khoi-dau-suon-se-tai-italian-open-20250509232336437.htm