Musetti Outlasts Humbert in Stockholm to Reach Semifinals

Lorenzo Musetti is into the Stockholm Open semifinals. The third seed beat seventh seed Ugo Humbert 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4 on Thursday evening in two hours and 29 minutes, and he plays top seed Taylor Fritz next for a place in the final.

Humbert nearly took it. He won the second set and broke early in the third, carrying his momentum into the decider before Musetti broke back and settled the match with a late break of his own. Humbert hit 13 aces in defeat. Musetti hit six aces and made one double fault.

The win makes Musetti the first Italian semifinalist in Stockholm since Fabio Fognini in 2018. It's also his 10th win in 12 indoor hard-court matches this season, a run that has carried him through the European indoor swing in form.

Musetti's week started cleaner. He beat British qualifier Toby Samuel 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday in his opening match, in the 48th tour-level quarterfinal of his career and his seventh of this season. The Lyon champion this season, he has turned the indoor swing into the most consistent stretch of his year.

The rankings say Musetti is the underdog, and the week says otherwise. He is ranked No. 25 in the world and Humbert No. 39, and the Italian has now won the longer, harder matches in this draw while Fritz, the world No. 10, advanced without hitting a ball in his quarterfinal. Stockholm's indoor hard courts reward the returner who stays in rallies, and Musetti's one-handed backhand has held up under that pressure all week.

Fritz didn't have to play his quarterfinal. Holger Rune withdrew with a right leg injury, and the American advanced on a walkover, so he reaches the semifinal fresh while Musetti reaches it with a two-and-a-half-hour match in his legs.

Alejandro Tabilo and Thiago Agustin Tirante play the other semifinal. The final follows on Saturday in Stockholm, and the winner of Fritz against Musetti starts it as the favorite on ranking alone.

Friday's order sets the test up plainly. Tabilo plays Tirante at 14:00 local time, then Fritz plays Musetti at 17:00, with the winners meeting in Saturday's final. Musetti has the match time in his legs and the form line on his side of the draw; Fritz has the bigger serve and a free day. One of those edges decides it.