Lorenzo Musetti lost his final week in a row on the ATP tour, unable to break the curse that hit him.
The Italian ace can still be proud of the level of play shown at the beginning of 2026, considering that he has shown further improvements and will be able to celebrate his entry into the Top 5 of the ATP rankings from tomorrow. In particular, the player from Carrara became the third Italian in the Open Era to hit this milestone after Adriano Panatta and Jannik Sinner.
Musetti had an excellent run in Hong Kong and it is likely that the tough battle against Russian ace Andrey Rublev in the semifinals affected him today, as he also had a discomfort in his arm and had to ask for the intervention of the physiotherapist.
His hope was to return to lift a trophy three years after the last time, but a stunning version of Alexander Bublik prevailed in straight sets. The Kazakh star put in an almost flawless performance, winning the ninth title of his career and celebrating his entry into the Top 10 a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Musetti is heartbroken
About an hour later, Lorenzo played the final of the doubles tournament together with his friend and compatriot Lorenzo Sonego. The Italian pair defeated Russians stars Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov in the super-tiebreak, crowning a week on the verge of perfection.
At the same time, Musetti could not hide his disappointment at yet another defeat in an ATP final: "It's not easy to smile after a defeat, especially in the final. It seems like I'm not able to express my best tennis in the finals yet, but I want to congratulate Sasha for the way she played today.
He had a fantastic season in 2025 and is continuing to improve, so he deserves a huge round of applause. I want to thank my team and my family, who support me on every occasion. I've played several finals in the last three years and I hope the next one will be the good one." Lorenzo's next goal will be the Australian Open.
