Musetti survives Wawrinka to keep His Turin dream alive

Lorenzo Musetti has taken another step toward the Nitto ATP Finals after a comeback victory over Stan Wawrinka at the Hellenic Championship in Athens. The Italian survived a serious test from the veteran Swiss, coming from behind to win 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in just under three hours.

Wawrinka, playing with trademark power and precision, looked in control early on. He took the opening set and came within two points of victory in the second-set tiebreak, but Musetti refused to back down.

For Musetti, the stakes could not be higher. He needs to win the title this week in Athens to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, which begin on November 9. Having cleared his opening hurdle, he now faces three more matches  the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final  to complete the runs on the ATP Tour.

Next, Musetti will face Alexandre Müller in the quarterfinals. Should he advance, the likely semifinal could pit him against Novak Djokovic, the tournament’s top seed and overwhelming favorite.