Tennis, Musetti comes out in Indian Wells: no derby with Sinner

INDIAN WELLS – The unprecedented Italy-France match ends in a draw in Indian Wells. If Jannik Sinner manages Richard Gasquet by giving Italy the lead, Adrian Mannarino restores balance by overcoming Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4.

The additional curiosity is that the draw had put these two matches close together, with a cross in the third round. Therefore, Sinner will face Mannarino. Too bad, because a Sinner-Musetti match would have been suggestive and would have brought a lot of Italy to this Californian Masters 1000. Moreover, it is a match that we could have already seen at the Australian Open, but even in that case Musetti failed “at the appointment”.

Musetti-Mannarino was a very enjoyable match to watch, and in fact field 5 was so full that not even Vincenzo Santopadre (Berrettini’s coach), Elisabetta Cocciaretto (playing colleague), Francesco Piccari (Lucia Bronzetti’s coach) were unable to find a place in the stands. The public appreciated the variations on the theme of the two protagonists: Musetti’s one-handed backhand, the Frenchman’s left-handed slices.

Embroideries, effects and trajectories different from the homologous power that is normally seen. Accelerations were all blue. Who, however, was unable to give vent to his repertoire because Mannarino prevented him with his anomalous plays. And he has, so to speak, ‘wrapped’ the blue. Who started very well (immediately break and 2-0), but then dissolved the treasure. Both in the first and in the second set, with a controversial ending: Mannarino, who was leading 4-2, slowed down and let himself be caught up with a penalty point. Let’s explain: in the first set he had thrown his racket to the ground, with a warning from the chair umpire. In the second set, on 4-3 and Musetti had an advantage, before resuming the game he repeated the gesture with the racket on the ground again: the Italian bench jumped to his feet, but the referee didn’t reply the warning that would have given a point and therefore the 4-4. But the Frenchman argued with Tartarini/Rianna (the two coaches in Musetti’s corner) and in the end the chair umpire intervened.

The protests of the Frenchman were useless, but he did not disunited. Indeed, it was Musetti who did not take advantage of the situation: another break, and the end of the game. Apart from this episode, the match confirmed ups and downs for the Carrara, who showed himself to be nervous on more than one occasion. There is only to be hoped that he will soon find serenity, even before the game.