Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the US Open match.
Lorenzo Musetti has eased past his early opponents and now stands one win from the quarter-finals, where fellow Italian Jannik Sinner could await. For Munar, the Round of 16 is an achievement in itself, but he has made no secret of his ambition and expects to make it a contest again against an awkward opponent for him.
Lorenzo Musetti
In New York, Musetti has been reliable: after dropping the opening set to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, he has put together three straight matches without serious dips. Against David Goffin and Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo conceded no more than six games. However, he is still adjusting to the North American hard-court swing. The Italian has only three wins from seven matches on the continent, and the H2H with Jaume Munar is poor: Musetti has lost four of their five head-to-head meetings.
Jaume Munar
Jaume Munar has improved on hard courts; in New York he dropped only a set in his opener, then dismantled Gabriel Diallo and Zizou Bergs while posting a 70% first-serve percentage. However, his level remains short of what is required against the top-10. This season Jaume owns just one win in five matches against high-calibre opposition, yet he is not bad at all against Lorenzo Musetti.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar Prediction
Lorenzo Musetti and Jaume Munar arrive at the Round of 16 with broadly similar metrics. The Italian is part of the game’s elite, yet he finds the Spaniard a tricky match-up. The match should be protracted and reach at least 36 games.
