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Lorenzo Musetti believes Carlos Alcaraz can “probably” win Roland Garros after the pair’s fourth-round clash on Sunday in Paris. The top seed eased to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
“[He] was serving really good. We knew that [he is] probably one of the best movers on the Tour,” Musetti said. “As we know, he really likes to drop [shot] and to turn with his forehand and that [shot] is really aggressive and heavy.
“I think today he showed that he probably can win this tournament.”
The Italian entered the match having swept through the first three rounds without losing a set. The 21-year-old had also won the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting in last year’s Hamburg final.
“I think we both grew a lot since [our] last meeting in Hamburg. Of course, he won a Grand Slam, so it's something that I think you have inside,” Musetti said. “It's sort of a massive amount of experience that you need even to go a step forward for the level and to set new goals, to set a new life. So even that, I think it helped him to grow.”
Alcaraz has now won 11 consecutive matches at majors. He claimed his maiden title at this level at last year’s US Open and has now mostly cruised through four rounds in Paris (he missed the Australian Open due to injury).
“I think we know that he is probably the best player in the world, and at the moment it's really tough to beat him, especially on clay,” Musetti said. “I think he grew a lot since last meeting we had in Hamburg. Today I think I didn't show my best tennis. But, of course, I don't want to take any [excuses] on that.
“Carlos deserved to win and deserved to pass to the quarter-finals, so I'm happy for him and for the level that he showed today.”
Musetti explained that Alcaraz is a complete player — physically, mentally and technically. He specifically called out the 20-year-old’s serve.
“[He is] probably one of the toughest players to beat for sure at the moment,” Musetti said. “So he deserves to be No. 1 in the world.”
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