Carlos Alcaraz vs Lorenzo Musetti: 2023 China Open Beijing - Preview & Prediction

30/09/2023 14:00 | by Evita Mueller

Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti have some history together, so let's see who might win this latest battle between the players at the 2023 China Open in Beijing.

Lorenzo Musetti defeated Carlos Alcaraz once on a tennis court, and while that in itself is not that shocking, it was a final, and that was painful for the Spaniard. Alcaraz remembers those; just ask Novak Djokovic about how the Wimbledon final went.

That match was on clay though, so this is the first time they will play on hard courts and it's not looking for Musetti. He just doesn't have the raw power nor the weapons to really counter Alcaraz on courts like these.

Head-to-head:

The head-to-head favours Alcaraz slightly. It's only 2-1, but they played earlier this year, and Alcaraz won comfortably on clay. All of their matches came on clay so far, and that's the surface that suits the style of Musetti. It doesn't mean he's a better clay player, but he's certainly more dangerous on it than on other surfaces.

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Prediction:

So what might happen here? Well not much honestly. Alcaraz is the far better player, especially on hard courts and it will mostly come down to him. If he plays the type of tennis he is capable of it should be a rather comfortable one.

Musetti did play a solid match against Karen Khachanov, but the Russian was obviously fatigued and played quite a bit below the level he showed the previous week when he won a trophy. Alcaraz will certainly produce a better level; we just don't know how good.

Either way, his power should give him a clear edge in the faster conditions even though Musetti will try to trick his way out of many rallies. I don't see it working, though.

Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in two sets.

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