When Lorenzo Musetti finished his quarterfinal match against Luca Van Asche past 1 a.m. on October 24 at the Lyon Open, it looked like the Italian’s four-year title drought on the Tour was set to continue. He was slated to face an in-form Flavio Cobolli in the semifinal a few hours later that day, and given the Italian’s track record of injuries, pushing his body is always risky. However, all’s well that ends well, as the Italian did not forget the assistance he received after securing the title on Sunday.

“Thanks to the entire medical staff and the ATP and tournament physios,” said Musetti in the on-court speech after winning the title. “They did an incredible job with me, I finished very late in the quarterfinals and yesterday was a really tough match. I felt ‘dead’ when I stepped onto the court, but the crowd’s energy and the medical work lifted me up.”

The match against Van Asche in the quarterfinals was exceptionally grueling, given the slow court speed with most rallies being extended beyond double-digit shots, with the match going beyond the three-and-a-half-hour mark on the clock. Not to mention overcoming the emotional toll of having missed a match point during the second-set tiebreak. However, Musetti overcame all that to win that match in three sets to set up an all-Italian clash against Cobolli in the semifinal.

The Cobolli clash did not last as long as the previous one, but Musetti still had limited recovery time, as he had to play the match the same day. On the court, the sixth seed had to come back from a set down to take the match into a deciding third set. Serving at 4-5 in the decider, Musetti had to save four match points, which proved to be the decisive factor as the Italian won the next two games to close out the match.

Playing such physically and emotionally grueling matches, it was understandable that Musetti felt “dead” on the court when he stepped up against Taylor Fritz. However, the final was one of the best matches the Italian ever played. Fritz had come into the final without having dropped his serve once in four matches, and Musetti broke him in the first game. There was no looking back for the Italian after that, who wrapped up a comfortable straight-sets victory in just over an hour.

Late finishes at tennis matches have been a topic of public discussion for quite some time now, especially since the US Open. Arthur Ashe saw many of its matches finish past 2 a.m., with the quarterfinal clash between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz going past three-thirty. Since then, several players, including Alcaraz, have talked about the late finishes hampering recovery.

For Musetti, the Italian is no stranger to physical issues that hamper him during the biggest matches. The former Top-10 player had to retire in his match against Novak Djokovic during the Australian Open, despite winning the first two sets. A similar fate befell him when he retired against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 French Open semifinal.

However, there is no rest for the Italian, as he is already off to Vienna this week in a bid to finish the season strongly and maintain his title-winning form.

Lorenzo Musetti to Be in Vienna in Two Days Time After Title in Lyon

Having won the title on Sunday in Lyon, Musetti will not have much time to celebrate as the Italian is set to begin his campaign at the Vienna Open on Tuesday, with a tough opponent like Frances Tiafoe waiting for him. The Italian reached the semifinals in Vienna last year and will therefore need a deep run to defend those points this year.

This is not the first time Musetti has pushed himself in the latter half of the season; he did the same last season. Aiming to book his spot at the ATP Finals in Turin, Musetti played 11 matches across 24 days during the indoor season last year. While there are no qualification prospects for the Italian this season, he will hope to finish strongly and be in a position to be back in the Top 10 at the beginning of the 2027 season.

The win in Lyon will give Musetti a lot of confidence, given that this was his first title since 2022. The Italian had reached seven Tour-level finals in between but could not cross the finish line, including the one in Hong Kong he lost early this year. The dominant win in Lyon is crucial for setting up the former World No. 5 to get back to his vintage form ahead of the Australian Open next year.