Musetti eyes Chengdu crown in redemption bid

The air in Chengdu hung heavy with evening humidity as Lorenzo Musetti dismantled Alexander Shevchenko in a 6-3, 6-1 sweep, his strokes carving through the baseline like a sculptor reclaiming form. At the Chengdu Open, this ATP 250 semifinal victory thrust the top-seeded Italian back into championship contention, the crowd's murmurs rising with the memory of last year's hard-court heartbreak. The 23-year-old's one–two combinations flowed with renewed authority, each inside-out forehand a declaration against the doubts that had shadowed his season.

Musetti's serve shields path to Turin

Musetti transformed his first serve into an impenetrable barrier, claiming 92 percent of those points—24 out of 26—while denying Shevchenko any break chances, a statistic that underscores his adaptation to the surface's quick skid. This efficiency, drawn from Infosys ATP Stats, not only secured the win but propelled him one spot to seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, edging closer to a debut at the Nitto ATP Finals on home soil from November 9 to 16. His countryman Jannik Sinner has already punched his ticket to the year-end event, leaving Musetti to chase that elusive spot amid the pressure of expectations. Last year's final here, where he bowed to Shang Juncheng in his maiden ATP Tour hard-court decider, fuels this quest for a third tour-level title—the first since Naples in 2022. As the first player to reach multiple finals at this event since its 2016 start, Musetti carries the weight of history, his topspin arcs bending rallies into opportunities for breakthroughs.

Tabilo's run defies hard-court struggles

Across the draw, Alejandro Tabilo extended his qualifier's fairy tale with a 6-4, 7-6(0) edge over fourth seed Brandon Nakashima, the one-hour-36-minute battle ending in a tiebreak whitewash that silenced the American's flat power. The Chilean, entering with a dismal 5-13 record over the past 18 months marred by injuries, has surrendered just one set en route, including a nerve-shredding deciding-set tiebreak survival against Lloyd Harris in qualifying's second round. His crosscourt backhands probed deep, forcing errors on courts where precision trumps brute force, turning a season of setbacks into a surge of momentum. Tabilo, who claimed titles in Auckland and Mallorca last year, climbs 28 places to No. 84 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, on the cusp of top-100 return after this ATP 250. This resilience speaks to a mind rebuilt through adversity, his steady returns waiting out opponents' bursts in the humid night air.

Final fuses flair with unyielding grit

Their maiden ATP head-to-head looms under Chengdu's glare, pitting Musetti's elegant spin—those inside-in slices pulling foes off-balance—against Tabilo's flat-line urgency, where down-the-line lasers could exploit any lapse. For the Italian, triumph would erase the scar of last year's defeat, not just lifting the trophy but forging the mental steel for Turin's bright lights. Tabilo arrives as the underdog, his comeback narrative a spark that could ignite an upset, the crowd's energy pulsing like the baseline's rhythm, sensing a duel where victory hinges on the intangible: composure amid the storm of points that define a season's soul.