This is going to be one for the purists, with both players bringing a level of creativity which is painfully lacking in modern-day tennis. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz improved his 2025 clay-court record to 20-1 with a thumping 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 win over American Tommy Paul.
WTA/ ATP Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
French Open
Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Semifinals- 7th-8th June
ATP Tour- 8th June
Carlos Alcaraz (2) 0.14 vs Lorenzo Musetti (8) 4.4
The match lasted shorter than both of yesterday’s women’s quarterfinals (which were both won in straight sets). That gives you some indication of the Spaniard’s utter dominance. He was exceptional on serve, winning 88% of his first-serve points. He was impeccable in every facet of the game, hitting 40 winners to 18 unforced errors in arguably the most complete performance of this entire tournament. Alcaraz looked a little vulnerable in some of the early rounds, struggling to win as many cheap points on serve as he would have liked. But his serve seems to be coming around and the rest of his play is on another level. Next up he faces perhaps the only other player in the men’s draw who can match his clay-court nous: Lorenzo Musetti.
Lorenzo Musetti’s dream clay-court season continues, as he secured a maiden French Open semifinal berth after a glittering 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 triumph over a dogged Frances Tiafoe. The match was not without some controversy, with Musetti escaping potential disqualification after accidentally kicking a ball into a linesman. Musetti looked serene in difficult conditions, hitting 45 winners to 32 unforced errors in another brilliant display of his all-court prowess. Musetti has been the 2nd best clay-court player on the ATP Tour this year, improving to 19-3 with his victory over Tiafoe. In fact, he has now become just the 5th player since the formation of the ATP to reach the semifinals or better at all three clay Masters 1000 events and the French Open in the same season. He won the Bronze Medal at last year’s Olympics and looks completely at ease with the pace of these surfaces. Musetti’s variety make him one of the most entertaining players to watch on tour. But his exquisite touch will come under intense scrutiny against the uber-athletic Alcaraz. Musetti is going to need to be precision-personified if he wishes to throw in those sneaky drop-shots.
The Verdict: Alcaraz to win in four sets at 2.3– The Spaniard has dominated this head-to-head rivalry, coming to this match with a 5-1 advantage over Musetti. He has won their last five matches, including this year’s Monte-Carlo final and Rome semifinal. He also thrashed the Italian at the 2023 French Open. Musetti’s lone win did come on clay (he edged Alcaraz in a thrilling 2022 Hamburg final). Musetti will find it hard to outmaneuver the athletic Alcaraz. Alcaraz has similar variety to Musetti and can match the Italian’s courtcraft. I still think that Musetti is playing well enough to nick a set. But Alcaraz’s combination of power and finesse should see him through in the end.
