Lorenzo Musetti wins first Italian Olympic tennis medal in a century (2024)

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti continued his stellar summer with a bronze medal victory in men’s singles Saturday, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in three sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

It is Musetti’s first Olympic medal of his career and he will be on the podium Sunday, joining Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who contest the gold medal match.

Musetti, the world No. 16, started the match strong with an opening break of Auger-Aliassime’s serve. Despite getting broken at 4-3, Musetti never wavered. He responded with an immediate break back of Auger-Aliassime’s serve, his second of the set, en route to winning the opener 6-4.

Auger-Aliassime, who won bronze in mixed doubles Friday, raised his level in the second set. The Canadian served at 84 percent in the second set, firing five aces and winning 30 points. Musetti only won 19 points and appeared flustered throughout, with Auger-Aliassime breaking the Italian twice to force a decider.

The third set was close, as Musetti and Auger-Aliassime exchanged service holds. But with Musetti up 4-3, he took advantage of a couple of Auger-Aliassime unforced errors. Musetti broke to go up 5-3, before serving it out to capture the bronze medal.

Musetti’s bronze medal continues a banner year for the 22-year-old. He recorded his 100th career win at Monte Carlo when he defeated American Taylor Fritz, and at Wimbledon, Musetti reached his first Grand Slam semifinal before losing to Djokovic. At the Olympics, he beat reigning gold medalist Alexander Zverev en route to his bronze medal win.

Musetti’s victory over Auger-Aliassime capped off a quadruple header of Olympic tennis at Roland Garros. Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Peers won gold in men’s doubles. The American duo of Fritz and Tommy Paul won the men’s doubles bronze. And Zheng Qinwen became the first Chinese singles player to win Olympic gold with her win over Donna Vekic.

‘A vindication of Musetti’s talents’

Analysis from James Hansen

Deep in the third set on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Musetti and Auger-Aliassime were straining. Each forced the other to hit one, two, three more balls. Each hit awe-inspiring winners from positions of weakness.

Each needed this more than anything.

Coming third in a sport played with two people at first sounds like consolation. But the Olympic tennis tournaments — never considered the pinnacle of the sport — have taken on new resonance in the past five editions, largely because they offer a prize you can’t win in a Grand Slam: third.

Since 2004, 13 men have won the 78 Grand Slam titles on offer, and three men — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have won 65 of those.

Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti largely skipped facing two of those three by age, but they’ve had Djokovic to cope with alongside Carlos Alcaraz — as well as the players in and around their own generation who have been shut out of the biggest titles in tennis by happenstance of birth. Auger-Aliassime and Musetti lost to both of those players in their semifinals in Paris, but unlike at the French Open — where they also lost to Alcaraz and Djokovic respectively — defeat was not the end.

It was the chance of a prize.

Auger-Aliassime, a serious clay-court player who comes alive when representing Canada, looked to be the front-runner for much of the match. In losing the first set 6-4, he looked on paper to be getting pummelled, facing eight break points and creating just one. But five of those came in the first game, with Musetti nicking the fifth, and three more in the ninth. Every other game was an even hold. In the second set Auger-Aliassime took over, and he largely won the more thrilling points that defined the middle part of the third set, leaving Musetti scowling and chuntering at some of the absurdities he was having to deal with. Balls skipping off lines, winners from impossible positions, things of that nature.

So perhaps this is simply Musetti, and Italy’s year. Compatriots Jasmine Paolini (of two consecutive Grand Slam singles finals) and Sara Errani will compete for gold in the women’s doubles tomorrow; Jannik Sinner is world No. 1; and Musetti himself is imposing himself in matches when it matters more and more. At Wimbledon, he dismantled two of the biggest servers on the tour, in Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Taylor Fritz, with a virtuosic display of sliced groundstrokes and chipped returns. Against Auger-Aliassime under floodlights on Saturday, he had to use more brute force, more endurance.Piu forza.

On Sunday, he will stand beside Alcaraz and Djokovic, medal round his neck. Coming third in tennis isn’t so bad, at least every four years.

(Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira / AFP via Getty Images)