A top-10 matchup beckons at the French Open, with in-form Lorenzo Musetti battling Holger Rune in Sunday's fourth-round contest.
Both men overcame adversity in the previous round, as the Italian No. 2 overturned a first-set deficit, while Rune faced a similar situation, and was even two points from exiting in the fourth set, before reaching the last 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
Match preview
© Iconsport
After straightforward victories over Yannick Hanfmann and Daniel Elahi Galan in the first two rounds, Musetti needed to display something different on Friday to overcome Mariano Navone.
The Italian, who made 19 unforced errors in the opening set, only accumulated 31 in sets two, three and four en route to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 success over his opponent, marking his third appearance in the fourth round in Paris.
After reaching the title match in Monte Carlo, the semi-finals in Madrid and the last four in Rome, Musetti has improved to 17-3 on clay this season, losing twice to French Open favourite Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper on the dirt.
This places the 23-year-old in good stead as he aims to be third-time lucky in the fourth round, having previously lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets in 2021 and to Alcaraz two years later.
Although the world No. 7 enters Sunday's contest on a two-match losing streak against Rune, the player with 75 clay wins among those born since 2000 — behind Alcaraz (98) and Sebastian Baez (81) — seeks a 76th victory to reach his maiden quarter-final in the French capital.
© Imago
However, the Italian No. 2 must overcome a player with 54 victories on the dirt in that same bracket, ranking fifth among competitors born in the current millennium, to achieve a new feat in Paris.
Rune, who overcame a first-set loss in his first-round victory over veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, did likewise on Friday; however, his round-three victory had an added twist: the young Dane was two points from elimination in set four.
Nevertheless, the 22-year-old rallied to hold serve, claim the set and ultimately seal the win over Frenchman Quentin Halys for a 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 success in three hours and 19 minutes.
The Danish star is in the fourth round in the French capital for the fourth consecutive year, becoming the youngest men's singles player since Rafael Nadal in 2008 to achieve this feat at the event.
Aiming to reach a third French Open quarter-final, Rune, who won the title in Barcelona in April and inflicted Alcaraz's only loss on clay this year, seeks his 10th victory on the surface by defeating one of the in-form men on the men's tour.
Tournament so far
Lorenzo Musetti:
First round: vs. Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-2 6-0
Second round: vs. Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4 6-0 6-4
Third round: vs. Mariano Navone 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-2
Holger Rune:
First round: vs. Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7[4] 6-4 6-3 6-2
Second round: vs. Emilio Nava 6-3 7-6[5] 6-3
Third round: vs. Quentin Halys 4-6 6-2 5-7 7-5 6-2
Head To Head
Indian Wells (2024) - Third round: Rune 6-2 7-6(5)
Queen's Club (2023) - Quarter-final: Rune 6-4 7-5
Rune enters his third ATP Tour meeting with Musetti boasting a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head, claiming victories in 2023 and 2024 on grass and hard courts, respectively.
Having secured wins on two different surfaces, the young Dane now aims to complete the set by clinching a third on the Paris clay.
Further encouraging for the 10th seed is his superior record against top-10 opponents this year, with a 4-1 record that surpasses Musetti, who has won four and lost as many before facing Rune for the third time.
We say: Musetti to win in four sets
There is no stopping Musetti, whose previous fourth-round eliminations at Roland Garros were against Djokovic and Alcaraz.
The Italian, whose clay performances this season before the French Open earmarked him for a potential deep run this time, is predicted to edge out Rune and advance to a maiden quarter-final in the French capital.
