Italian tennis' resurgence at the fore as Sinner faces Musetti in US Open

 NEW YORK - Jannik Sinner against Lorenzo Musetti: the Italian derby in the quarter finals of the US Open is happening. For the first time in the history of the Open, two Italians will compete for access among the top four in a Major: “Every Italian awaits this match,” said the Carrarian before his match with the man from the Alto Adige. And Sinner has satisfied them: for the number one in the world 81 minutes were enough to end the Bublik warm up and gift another historic Italian derby to Flushing Meadows.

 Ten years after the memorable final between Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci, the Arthur Ashe Stadium returns to dye itself blue: “It will be a special match,” explained the champion from San Candido. Pure joy for the Italian fans: on the one hand the sparkling Musetti, in search of the first semi-final in New York, on the other hand the infallible Sinner, called upon to defend the title, and the number one player in the world.

 The contest between the two Italians completes the picture of the quarter finals at the US Open. It will be the third match between Sinner and Musetti, the first on outdoor hard-court and, in general, in a Grand Slam. The two Italians already faced one another at Antwerp in 2021, then again in 2023, but this time on the red clay of Montecarlo.

 On both occasions, Sinner was the winner without losing a set, who has a record of 15 wins and 0 defeats against Italian players in official matches. In the last two years, however, everything has changed: the player from the Alto Adige has won 4 Grand Slams and became the number one in the world: the Carrarian broke into the top 10 and has raised his level in the Majors, where he reached at least the quarters on every surface.

 A special derby, therefore, with very high stakes: Sinner defends the top of the ATP rankings against Carlos Alcaraz; the talent from Carrara instead searches for his first qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals, and to contest his second Slam semifinal this season would help him to achieve his goal.

 Sinner must defend the title and the world championship, now, however, he will find himself faced with a compatriot, a friend and a teammate: “When you play against another Italian the matches are always a little different,” Sinner admitted. On paper Sinner is the favourite, and not only for the contest against Musetti, but to aim to lift the trophy once more and join Alcaraz on 5 Grand Slam titles.

 Indeed, the man from the Alto Adige would have more chance of winning in an eventual final, especially against the Spaniard, that the Carrarian failed to defeat in the two previous ones on clay this year. This is shown by Sinners’ performance in the round of sixteen: if he is at 100%, he is unplayable for anyone other than his Iberian rival. In the hard-court Majors, moreover, he has not lost since the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open against Alexander Zverev, from then on, he has 25 consecutive wins, one fewer than Novak Djokovic and Ivan Lendl who share the third place in this all-time ranking, that Sinner would achieve by beating Musetti.

 The Italian wants to improve this statistic at all costs, to defend the number one in the world spot, that he has held for over a year. In the case of a defeat in the derby, Sinner would lose crown, which would pass automatically into the hands of Alcaraz. Considering the difference in points to defend in this seasonal finale, the Spaniard would hold onto it until next year.

 After two difficult months, Musetti returns to playing his best tennis, also confirming his jump in quality on hard-court, where he still had not managed to succeed. And now he is one step from his first Slam semifinal in New York, his third after Wimbledon and Roland Garros. To achieve it he will first have to overcome Sinner, the best in the world on this surface. For the Carrarian, qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals is also very close: with victory over Munar, Musetti overtakes the unfortunate Jack Draper and returns among the top 8 in the Race classifications.

 And against Sinner, the man from the class of 2002 can get closer to the American Ben Shelton, who also withdrew from the American Open through injury. Thus, a victory would allow Musetti to draw closer to the dream of a first Slam final: in the semifinals, in fact, the winner of the Italian derby will face one of Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alex De Minaur.

 Two opponents that Musetti has already beaten in the past, the Canadian in the bronze medal match at the Olympics in Paris, 2024, whilst the Australian was defeated in Madrid and in Montecarlo. In short, the Tuscan could bring back the one handed backhand in a Slam final, on a surface less suited to his characteristics.

 Disregarding the conflicting goals of Sinner and Musetti, the winner is definitely Italian tennis. And this season is the most blatant demonstration. In every Slam contested in 2025, Italy has always had two players in the quarterfinals: Sinner and Sonego in Australia, Musetti and Sinner in Paris, then Cobolli and Sinner at Wimbledon, and now yet again the top two player in Italy, this time against one another.

 An unthinkable outcome only a few years ago, but that now seems almost predictable, perhaps even fitting for some fans accustomed to this level of performance: “It now seems normal, but it isn’t: it is very difficult to make it this far,” said Sinner. And it is for this reason that, forgetting the result, Italian tennis has already won. Between Sinner and Musetti, then, the court will decide: may the best man win.

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