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Lorenzo Musetti has secured a spot in the ATP 250 Chengdu final. The Carrara-born tennis player defeated Russia's Alibek Kachmazov in the semifinal with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. This marks Musetti's third final this year, following losses at Queen's and Umag. Musetti will be competing for a title for the fifth time in his career.
After overcoming France's Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in the quarterfinals (and previously defeating Australia's Christopher O'Connell 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in the round of 16), Musetti dispatched Kachmazov in straight sets, though not without a fight. For at least an hour, the qualifier, who had recently scored a major win over Chile's Nicolas Jarry, pushed Musetti to his limits.
Musetti claimed the first set after 55 minutes of intense play. After saving an early break point, Musetti broke Kachmazov's serve on his third opportunity in the seventh game. Down 3-5, Kachmazov fought back, saving three set points and refusing to give up. Despite the Russian's powerful baseline shots, Musetti eventually secured the seventh set point and clinched the set with his fourth ace.
With the first set in hand, Musetti displayed patience and intelligence in the second, steadily increasing his advantage. Mixing slice and powerful shots, the Italian wore down Kachmazov's resistance. As his opponent became increasingly frustrated, Musetti took control of the sixth game, coming back from 15-30 to take a 5-1 lead.
Though Kachmazov managed to close the gap to 2-5, Musetti expertly sealed the match in the next service game. With one of his best serving performances, Musetti now heads into the final, aiming to win his first title since the 2022 Napoli Open. He will face China's Juncheng Shang, who defeated Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-4.
