Musetti Survives Twin Tie-Breaks Against Hurkacz to Set Up Zverev Showdown in Paris

Lorenzo Musetti survived a nerve-shredding start to his Paris Masters campaign, beating Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10) on Monday to reach a blockbuster meeting with Alexander Zverev. It was the Italian's first win in Paris since 2022, and it took all of his composure to get it over the line. Both sets went to tie-breaks, and the second was a thriller. Hurkacz saved three match points to drag the breaker deep, but Musetti held his nerve at the fourth time of asking to close out a fourth straight win against a top-30 opponent. The victory extends a strong run of form for the Italian, who has now beaten a top-10 opponent three times in five meetings this year. The reward is a daunting one: Zverev, playing his first tournament as world No. 1. The German received a bye into the second round and will be fresh, while Musetti arrives battle-hardened but with miles in his legs. Their meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, and it promises to be one of the matches of the week in the French capital. Elsewhere on Monday's opening day, Ignacio Buse became the first Peruvian to win a match at the Paris Masters, beating Zizou Bergs 6-2, 6-4 to set up a clash with fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, while qualifier Rinky Hijikata continued his run by routing Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2. With the race for the ATP Finals still wide open, every win in Paris carries extra weight — and Musetti has just banked a big one.