ATP Tour
Sinner ‘on another level’ in US Open QF, says Musetti
Italian World No. 10 praises his countryman after New York clash
September 04, 2025
Al Bello/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets on Thursday night in New York.
By ATP Staff
Even a Top 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings sometimes still just has to say, ‘Too good’.
That was the case for Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday night at the US Open after the World No. 10 fell to quarter-final defeat against Jannik Sinner. After dropping the first five games of the match, Musetti was unable to claw back enough momentum to halt the charge of World No. 1 and defending champion Sinner, who has still dropped just one set across his five matches so far this year in New York.
“I feel like the first set I was a little bit too much in a rush,” reflected Musetti in his post-match press conference. “I think it was not easy for me to find the right feelings with the ball at the beginning, because I never played on night session so far. So I think it was kind of different from what I’ve played in the past matches during the day.
“But, of course, I felt that Jannik was on another level, I would say, on many, many occasions. The second set is the set where I served better and where I had more chances. I had one break point that I didn’t take it. I think with an opponent like him you have to take the few chances that he gives you, and I was not able to do it.”
With his 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory against Musetti inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sinner improved to 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. For Musetti, who is good friends with his fellow Italian off the court, the match represented a chance for him to experience Sinner’s current level up close: Prior to Wednesday night in New York, the pair had not played since the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals.
“Of course, a lot of things changed from our last meeting,” said Musetti. “We both grew up… I never played, honestly, someone who put me on this kind of rush in the rally, and I didn’t have many chances on the rally, and he was always leading the rally. So that was kind of a bad feeling, of course, when I was playing against him.
“I was pretty impressed by Jannik’s performance today. I think he served really well, and he was pushing me to my limit. Of course, he’s better than me, and he showed. But I’m happy that I played against him to understand even the things that I have to improve. So hopefully soon I can have a test again.”
Despite quarter-final defeat, Musetti has significantly boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes with his run in New York. The 23-year-old has risen one spot to eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as he chases a debut appearance at November’s prestigious season finale.
