In order to advance to the fourth round in Indian Wells, Holger Rune must defeat Lorenzo Musetti.
The Italian was close to losing to Denis Shapovalov, so it was fortunate for him to be in the third round. Musetti won the first set but lost the second, making their matchup more intriguing.
Early in the final set, he had a great opportunity to break, but he squandered it. Shapovalov’s break put the Italian in a difficult position, but he recovered to defeat the highly inconsistent Canadian, who committed 12 double faults.
Rune has proven to be a reliable player in the desert in the past, so this matchup with him promises to be interesting. The only thing Musetti has going for him is that Rune got a first-round bye and hadn’t played a match at the inaugural ATP Masters 1000 event of the year due to Raonic’s withdrawal prior to their second-round encounter.
Head-to-head:
Rune still has some things to rely on in the absence of that. Their lone prior meeting took place on grass, and he came out on top. Though this slower variety actually suits the Italian more than any of the faster courts, Rune is far more at ease on a hard court.
| Holger Rune | Lorenzo Musetti | |
| 1 | H2H | 0 |
| 7 | Rank | 26 |
| 20 | Age | 22 |
| 11-5 | 2024 W/L | 5-7 |
| 105-67 | Career W/L | 97-90 |
The significant distinction between their armaments is worth mentioning. Musetti possesses a strong backhand and forehand, although neither is particularly powerful. With him, it’s more about dexterity and subtlety, and that won’t work against Rune.
He’s going to get hit hard and aggressively by the Danish superstar, and eventually he’s going to get overwhelmed. Rune would gain from serving well, but it would not be required. Simply put, Musetti has no chance.
