Musetti 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 5-1* Rune
What was a raucous crowd to start this fourth set has descended into a low murmur, because the match feels effectively over as a contest. Tennis doesn’t really work that way, I know, but Musetti is mixing up the speed, spin and height of his ball in ways that Rune just can’t meet. When the Dane gets a chance on the front foot, he’s over-pressing and missing forehands wide.
Musetti eases to 30-0 with another sequence of shots that make it look like the ball is attached to his racket, but Rune punches away a winner to stay what the crowd has deemed is inevitable. Musetti even ramps up the pace as a surprise tactic on his second serve, slamming it down the T to throw Rune off balance and get to 40-15.
A line judge’s call of “fault” that sounds more like someone falling down a ravine draws some laughter, before Rune draws an error out of Musetti’s forehand and reels him to 40-30. As Musetti slams down a first serve to move up 5-1, the stadium empties further.