2 days ago
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Lorenzo Musetti admitted that he was “scared” about potentially being defaulted after accidentally kicking a tennis ball at a line judge during his win over Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals of the French Open.
On Tuesday, the eighth seed Musetti held his nerve in treacherous windy conditions to close out a stellar 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over the 15th seed Tiafoe and reach the semi-finals in Paris for the first time. The match, however, included a moment of jeopardy after he kicked a ball towards the back fence. It rebounded against the shoulder of an unflinching line judge. Musetti received a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence,” said Musetti. “I was a little bit, honestly, scared, because I really didn’t want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said sorry. I apologise to everyone. It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that’s why he probably just let me continue my game.”
Afterwards, Tiafoe described the ruling as “comical” and suggested that there are inconsistencies within the rules. There have been numerous examples of players being defaulted over the years for unintentionally hitting people with a tennis ball. Two years ago in Paris, the Japanese player Miyu Kato was disqualified from the women’s doubles tournament, along with her partner Aldila Sutjiadi, after unintentionally hitting a ballgirl.
“Obviously he did that and nothing happened,” said Tiafoe. “I think that’s comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there’s nothing really to talk about. Obviously it’s not consistent, so it is what it is.”
On the court, Musetti continues to enjoy a breakout run this year. After a career best 2024 season in which he reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon and won a singles bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, the 23-year-old Italian has taken another massive leap forward during this clay court season. He followed up his first Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo by reaching the semi-finals in the Madrid Open, Italian Open and now at the French Open. He is just the fifth player since the ATP was formed in 1990 to reach the semi-finals or better at all three clay Masters 1000 events and the French Open in one year.
Having accrued so many points in recent weeks, Musetti will rise from No 16 at the beginning of the clay court season to at least No 7 in the ATP rankings and he sits at No 5 in the live rankings. He could leapfrog Jack Draper to No 4 in the live rankings with a win.
Musetti will rekindle his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, in the semi-finals after the Spaniard found his best level at last during his 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Tommy Paul. Alcaraz has now reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros for the last three years.
Alcaraz had endured a complicated path to the quarter-finals, dropping a set in three of his four matches as his patience occasionally waned. Considering his wavering level, a quarter-final meeting with Paul was potentially dangerous. Paul is one of the best athletes on tour, behind Alcaraz himself, and he has made life hell for the Spaniard in the past with his own ability to seamlessly straddle defence and attack, as Alcaraz can.
But Alcaraz appeared to have the ball on a string in the early stages of the match. He tore through the first set with a demonstration of spectacular, varied shotmaking and kept on going: “I could close my eyes and everything went in,” said Alcaraz. “My feelings today were unbelievable. I was starting to give every shot at my 100%.”
While Alcaraz performed at an incredible level throughout, Paul understandably looked weary from early on. The American had been struggling with an abdominal issue from early in the tournament but he came through consecutive five set matches in the second and third rounds en route to the quarter-finals. Even in perfect health, however, he may not have had any response against a special, singular talent in full flow.
