THE first set lasted just 26 minutes. By the end of the match, Italian qualifier Lorenzo Musetti had claimed the biggest scalp of his carer, defeating Stan Wawrinka 6-0 7-6 in the first round of the Rome Masters. It is fairly easy to compare considering it was his second ATP Tour match, which makes the feat by the 18-year-old all the more remarkable. Musetti is no stranger to success at junior level, winning the 2019 Australian Junior Boys Open and reaching number one on the circuit. Now just inside the top 250 on the senior Tour, Musetti is clearly making waves and not afraid to take his opponents on.

While Wawrinka did bounce back from the shocking first set – winning just 13 points (33 per cent) – in total and broken three times, he was still outplayed by the man half his age. The Italian won 42 per cent of his return points, and 69 per cent of his serve points in that second set, finishing with high 60s for both his first and second serve winning percentage throughout the one-hour and 24-minute match. Now he has to face another Grand Slam winner in the second round, in Kei Nishikori.

“I have seen him play on television and I know he is a very tough player,” Musetti said post-match. “First set was almost perfect. Second set he tried to play better. “He was focused on the match and he wanted to win the set, but I served really good. “I mixed a lot with the wide serve, T and body serve. “I think the serve was the key to have the lead of the game. “I’m going to enjoy the victory before I start thinking about my match against Nishikori.”

It was a good day for the Italians, with fellow qualifier, Marco Cecchinato defeating Kyle Edmund in three sets, 3-6 7-6 6-2, while wildcard Salvatore Caruso also came from behind to win in a third set tiebreaker against American qualifier Tennys Sandgren, 3-6 6-3 7-6 in just under three hours. The day as a whole was great for qualifiers, with three others joining the winners list in German Dominik Koepfer, Argentinian Federico Coria and Spaniard Pedro Martinez.

Koepfer had the biggest win of the lot, fighting from a set down to topple top 30 player and US Open quarter finalists, Alex de Minaur 3-6 6-3 7-6 in two hours and 33 minutes. Coria toppled challenging German Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, 6-1 7-6, while 23-year-old Martinez got the better of American veteran Sam Querrey, 6-3 7-6. While de Minaur went down, it was better news for another Australian in John Millman who won against lucky loser, Joao Sousa in two tight sets. Millman defeated the Portuguese world number 74 7-5 7-6 in two hours and four minutes, winning 74 per cent of his first serve points as the key difference.

Meanwhile Canadian seeds, Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic both won through to the Round of 32 with straight sets wins, joined by US Open quarter finalist and ninth seed, Andrey Rublev. Also through to the next round was Yoshihito Nishioka who upset the in-form Miomir Kecmanovic coming off a title at Kitzbuhel, with his short turnaround likely to have cost the Serb, going down 6-4 6-1 to his Japanese opponent. In the final match, Kecmanovic’s compatriot in Dusan Lajovic booked his spot in the Round of 32 with a 6-4 6-4 triumph over Spanish qualifier, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.