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Lorenzo Musetti was defeated by Juncheng Shang in the final match of the Chengdu ATP 250, squandering his third opportunity to win an ATP tournament in 2024. The Italian stayed competitive only during the first set, which the Chinese player won in a tiebreak. The 1-6 loss in the second set reflects both the flawless match played by the 19-year-old and Musetti's loss of focus. Shang, with this victory, reaches his career-high ranking as the world number 51 and secures his first ATP title.
It’s a true disappointment given the impressive run the talented Italian had enjoyed. He defeated Australia's O'Connell and France's Mannarino in three sets during the first round and the round of 16, respectively. The semifinal was a much easier match, with Musetti overcoming Russia's Kachmazov in straight sets in under an hour.
Before this loss on the Asian hard courts, the 22-year-old had failed to clinch the title in the finals on the grass of Queen's and the clay of Umag, Croatia. Musetti has not won an ATP tournament since October 23, 2022, when he defeated Matteo Berrettini in the final on the hard courts of the Naples ATP 250. His only ATP 500 title came in Hamburg, on clay, where he beat Carlos Alcaraz in three sets, also in 2022.
The Italian does not reach his career-best ranking of 15th but comes close, moving back to 17th. The next tournament "Muso" will play is the ATP 500 in Beijing, again in China. His main goal remains breaking into the top 10 players in the world as soon as possible.
