Brisbane, Jan 4 (UiTV/IANS) – Lorenzo Musetti gave Italy a perfect start in the United Cup City Final, here on Wednesday when he cruised past Poland’s Daniel Michalski.
The two-time ATP Tour titlist and Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus was in full control on Pat Rafter Arena, showing his class in a 6-1, 6-1 win against the World No. 260. The Italian lost just three service points in his 58-minute victory.
“Of course the serve worked really well. But I mean every shot (I) had a great feeling with the ball since the first hit on the court. I think I played for sure the best match of the year,” Musetti said.
Poland will look to quickly strike back when WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek takes the court against World No. 27 Martina Trevisan, a lefty who made last year’s Roland Garros semi-finals.
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That clash will be followed by the No. 1 men’s singles match between 2021 ATP Finals competitors Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini, which kicks off the night session.
Musetti oozed with confidence from the first ball against Michalski, waving his racquet like a wand on the court. Michalski struggled to find his rhythm early, which allowed the World No. 23 to play from the lead, which he never relinquished.
“Today I was moving really, really fast with the feet and I think that’s a key part for my game. Today I was on fire from that side, so I could manage the match in a positive way,” Musetti said.
The Italian is now 3-0 at the inaugural United Cup. Musetti also earned straight-set victories against Brazilian Felipe Meligeni Alves and Norwegian Viktor Durasovic.
Madison Keys gives USA early lead over Britain in City Final
Madison Keys gave the United States an early 1-0 lead over Great Britain with a win over World No. 145 Katie Swan in the United Cup Sydney City Final, here on Wednesday.
World No. 7 Keys registered a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Swan after rallying from a set down.
Britain has served as a fantastic underdog foil at the United Cup, as they staged upset wins over Australia and Spain in the group stage. Swan looked keen to continue the trend, as she took the opening set 2-6.
But, the American bounced back quickly to take the second set but could not hold on to an early lead in the decider. Swan broke back to 3-3 in the third set off a double-fault from the American.
Keys then showed her experience in the end. She played a disciplined and patient return game to break Swan to 5-4 and served out the win after two hours and 18 minutes.
The tie continues with the battle of team No. 1s as Taylor Fritz is set to face Cameron Norrie and Jessica Pegula to face Harriet Dart. Frances Tiafoe will play Daniel Evans in the fourth singles tie.
If the teams are tied at 2-2 after singles, the match will come down to mixed doubles, which is scheduled to feature Pegula and Tiafoe against Dart and Evans.
The winner of the tie will advance to the United Cup Final Four, which is scheduled here on Friday. The best runner-up from across the three City Finals will also progress to the Final Four.
