Musetti Continues Title Quest In Bastad

Italian Lorenzo Musetti did not have things all his own way against countryman Matteo Arnaldi at the Nordea Open on Wednesday, but he found a way to reach his seventh tour-level quarter-final of the season.

Competing on the clay at the ATP 250 in Bastad, the third seed Musetti overcame a mid-match dip to advance past Arnaldi 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6) in two hours and 38 minutes. The 21-year-old recovered from squandering a break advantage in the third set, converting his seventh match point to advance to his fifth quarter-final on clay this year.

Musetti, who had never been beyond the first round in his two previous appearances in Bastad, now leads Arnaldi 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Chasing his first tour-level title of the season, the World No. 16 will next meet Filip Misolic. The Austrian qualifier beat Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.

In other action, defending champion Francisco Cerundolo defeated #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. The fourth-seed, currently No. 21 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, has now earned 30 tour-level wins this season. The Argentine will next meet Federico Coria, a 6-4, 6-2 winner against Swede Leo Borg.