By Janina Nuno Rios
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Tenth seed Lorenzo Musetti rallied from a set down to secure a 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Italian struggled to make inroads against the Frenchman’s serve in the opener but gradually wore him down, breaking once in each of the next three sets to complete the comeback.
The win was a welcome response for the Italian after his first-round exit at Wimbledon last month and followed a deep run to the Roland Garros semi-finals in May, where he was forced to retire.
“(Against Mpetshi Perricard) you have to stay really calm, every game can be really difficult, you have to take the few chances he gives with his serve,” he said.
“Thanks to all the Italians who are here supporting me. I know there is a large Italian community in New York, and we receive a lot of support every day.”
“Today I was really focused on what I had to do and I’m really proud to take this win.”
There were no break points in a tense opener as both players dominated on serve, with few extended rallies. A tiebreak was needed to separate them, and it was the Frenchman who gained the edge with a single minibreak to claim the set.
In the second, the Italian finally earned his first break at the very first opportunity, while conceding only three points on serve as he raced through the set in just under half an hour to level the match.
Musetti seemed poised to ride his momentum into the third set, earning break points that he failed to convert in the opening game. He eventually broke in Mpetshi Perricard’s fourth service game, aided by two double faults from the 22-year-old that handed the Italian the advantage.
While Musetti remained implacable on serve, the Frenchman continued to falter, facing break points in each of his service games in the fourth set. Musetti finally converted his third chance at 3-2 and then held to consolidate what proved to be a decisive lead.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)
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