2022 French Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas downs Lorenzo Musetti
World number four Stefanos Tsitsipas staged a terrific comeback from two sets down to beat Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the 2022 French Open on Tuesday. The Greek claimed a 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory after three hours and 36 minutes. Tsitsipas will next face Czech qualifier Zdenek Kolar, who defeated France's Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, on Tuesday.
Tsitsipas won a total of 166 points and 64 winners in the match. He smashed as many as 10 aces, while Musetti registered four. The former won 44% (70/159) of the receiving points and 42% (8/19) of break points. Musetti claimed 73% (16/22) of net points. Tsitsipas recorded a total of eight double faults. He recorded as many as 36 unforced errors.
"Once I really found my momentum on the serve, my routines and everything, I knew that it can be a different match," Tsitsipas said after the match. "I felt like I was serving better than him, creating more opportunities with my serve, pressing more. It would have been kind of not fair from my perspective to have a different outcome."
🎙️ "I'm happy that I showed some fighting spirit out there"
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2022
-- No.4 @steftsitsipas on his comeback win over Lorenzo Musetti tonight:#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/SUpQuE6Pz1
Tsitsipas has been on a roll of late. Last month, the Greek won the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters after beating Alejandro Fokina in the final. It was his second ATP Masters 1000 title. Tsitsipas became only the second player after Rafael Nadal to have won two consecutive Monte-Carlo titles (active players). The former had secured his eighth career title.
Besides winning in Monte Carlo, Tsitsipas also reached the final of Rome Masters. He lost to world number Novak Djokovic in the summit clash. The Greek reached the semi-finals in Madrid and quarter-finals in Barcelona. Tsitsipas has a win-loss record of 14-3 on clay in the ongoing season, second-most after Carlos Alcaraz (16-1). Overall, the former is 32-10 in 2022.
Tsitsipas will square off with Czech qualifier Zdenek Kolar in the second round. The latter beat France's Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Tuesday. Tsitsipas and Kolar will clash for the first time on the ATP Tour. Notably, Kolar is ranked 134th.
