Follow us on Google Discover Lorenzo Musetti failed to secure his place in the ATP Finals on Wednesday.
When Felix Auger-Aliassime was taken to a third-set tiebreaker earlier in the day, Musetti might have been forgiven for looking at flights to Turin.
However, by the end of the day, Auger-Aliassime was into the last-16, and Musetti was dumped out of the Paris Masters by his countryman Lorenzo Sonego.
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The Italian will now anxiously wait to see how many points the Canadian picks up this week, as Auger-Aliassime continues to hunt down the all-important eighth qualification spot.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italy after his defeat to Sonego, Musetti reflected on the result that leaves his ATP Finals qualification in jeopardy.
‘Mentally fatigued’ Lorenzo Musetti says he is left with ‘a lot’ of regret after Paris defeat
The 23-year-old admitted he struggled to find the energy to compete during the third set of his match against Sonego.
“There was definitely a lot of mental fatigue at the end. I couldn’t get going and find the energy, especially in the third set, and that definitely made the difference,” said Musetti.
“It’s a shame, because at the start I had control of the game, but then I was at the mercy of what Lorenzo [Sonego] was doing.”
Sonego’s win over Musetti was his first against a top-10 opponent in 881 days, picking up the seventh of his career.
Lorenzo Sonego’s top 10 wins1. [1] Novak Djokovic – 2020 Vienna Open QF2. [4] Dominic Thiem – 2021 Italian Open 3R3. [7] Andrey Rublev – 2021 Italian Open QF4. [10] Hubert Hurkacz – 2022 Moselle Open SF 5. [9] Felix Auger-Aliassime – 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R6. [7] Andrey Rublev – 2023 French Open 3R7. [8] Lorenzo Musetti – 2025 Paris Masters 2R
Musetti was frustrated to have come up short, but made sure to give credit to Sonego, who played brilliantly to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
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“It was a very intense end to the season. Now we have to wait and try to accept what happened and move on,” he said.
“Credit to Lorenzo, who played an excellent second and third set, but it’s obvious that there’s a lot of regret about this occasion, and unfortunately, it’s too late to do anything about it now.”
Musetti will now spend the rest of the week looking over his shoulder, as his rivals look to overtake him in the ‘Race to Turin’.
How close is Felix Auger-Aliassime to overtaking Lorenzo Musetti for an ATP Finals spot?
Just 390 points separate Auger-Aliassime and Musetti in the race for the eighth and final spot in Turin.
RankNameCountryPointsParis MastersStatus1Carlos AlcarazSpain11,050Lost in 2RQualified2Jannik SinnerItaly9,1003R vs Francisco CerundoloQualified3Alexander ZverevGermany4,6603R vs Alejandro Davidovich FokinaQualified4Novak DjokovicSerbia4,580–Qualified5Taylor FritzUSA3,9353R vs Alexander BublikCurrently qualifying6Ben SheltonUSA3,8703R vs Andrey RublevCurrently qualifying7Alex de MinaurAustralia3,8353R vs Karen KhachanovCurrently qualifying8Lorenzo MusettiItaly3,685Lost in 2RCurrently qualifying9Felix Auger-AliassimeCanada3,2953R vs Daniel AltmaierNot currently qualifying10Jack DraperGreat Britain2,990–Injured – Won’t playLive ATP Race to Turin
Should Auger-Aliassime defeat Daniel Altmaier to secure his spot in the quarterfinals, he’d close the gap to just 290 points.
He would, however, need to reach the final in Paris to overtake Musetti.
ATP Race to Turin permutationsIf Felix Auger-Aliassime loses in 3R – Lorenzo Musetti stays in eighth (3,685 vs 3,295)If Felix Auger-Aliassime loses in QF – Lorenzo Musetti stays in eighth (3,685 vs 3,395)If Felix Auger-Aliassime loses in SF – Lorenzo Musetti stays in eighth (3,685 vs 3,595)If Felix Auger-Aliassime loses in F – Lorenzo Musetti falls to ninth (3,685 vs 3,845)If Felix Auger-Aliassime wins in F – Lorenzo Musetti falls to ninth (3,685 vs 4,195)
There will, of course, be 250 more points up for grabs next week, should either player decide to enter the Moselle Open in Metz or the Hellenic Championship in Athens.
Therefore, Musetti will only be mathematically safe from Auger-Aliassime should he lose in the third round or the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.
Only time will tell who will qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, but it will certainly be interesting to see if the Canadian can keep his hopes alive in Paris.
Auger-Aliassime will return to take on Altmaier for a place in the quarterfinals on Thursday, October 30.