Lorenzo Musetti blitzes Fritz to set up Djokovic showdown in Melbourne
- The Serb had already advanced to the last eight after his fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal injury on Sunday
MELBOURNE: Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti produced an inspired display to ease past American Taylor Fritz 6-2 7-5 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, setting up a meeting with 10-times champion Novak Djokovic.
The Italian came through a five-set battle with Tomas Machac in the last round but it did not appear to have taken much out of him as he broke Fritz’s big serve twice in the opening set.
Musetti played with authority and artistry towards the end of the second set, which he secured by winning three straight games, before breaking early in the third set to heap the pressure on the American.
Ninth seed Fritz, who was moved all over the court by his 23-year-old opponent, dug deep to stay in touch but Musetti served out the victory in style for a tantalising meeting with 24-times major champion Djokovic.
The Serb had already advanced to the last eight after his fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal injury on Sunday.
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