Lorenzo Musetti has beaten defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals.
Musetti fought back to defeat Tsitsipas, who he had never beaten in their five previous meetings.
The Italian had struggled for form earlier in the season, with Musetti suffering an injury setback that forced him to withdraw from tournaments during the South American clay court swing.
Since overcoming that injury and returning to the ATP Tour, Musetti has showcased his talent and has been able to make history at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Lorenzo Musetti makes ATP history at the Monte Carlo Masters
Musetti beat three-time Monte Carlo winner Tsitsipas, 1-6 6-3 6-4, to reach his first semi-final at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Despite Musetti reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, this is the first time he has reached the same benchmark at ATP Masters 1000 level.
Not only is it the first time that Musetti has achieved this feat, but it is also the first time that any player born in 2002 has done so.
Despite Musetti being the first player born in 2002 to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final, players from 2003 and 2005 had already done this.
Carlos Alcaraz first did this in 2022, when he was just 18-years-old, by reaching the semi-finals of Indian Wells.
More recently, Jakub Mensik made history by becoming the first player born in 2005 to do this en route to the Miami Open title.
There is still currently no player born in 2004 to have achieved this feat, with Arthur Fils making mistakes against Alcaraz that cost him of making history on the same day as Musetti.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head
As a result of reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, Musetti will now play Alex de Minaur for a place in the final.
De Minaur made clay court history himself in his own quarter-final, achieving something that even Rafael Nadal could not manage.
This will be the third meeting between Musetti and De Minaur, with the head-to-head at one win apiece.
Musetti beat De Minaur in their most recent match on the grass courts at Queen’s Club that took place last year.
However, De Minaur has likely to be feeling the much fresher out of the two, with Musetti spending six hours and six minutes more on court at the Monte Carlo Masters this week.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2022 | Australian Open (Hard) | De Minaur beat Musetti, 3-6 6-3 6-0 6-3 |
| 2024 | Queen’s (Grass) | Musetti beat De Minaur, 1-6 6-4 6-2 |
De Minaur and Musetti will play their first ever clay court match on Saturday April 12, as they both bid to reach their first ever Masters 1000 final on the surface.
Musetti has already confirmed that he will reach a career-high ranking on Monday, and could make his top 10 debut if he wins the title.
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