Lorenzo Musetti is through to his first Australian Open quarterfinal.
The fifth seed put on a commanding performance against ninth seed Taylor Fritz on Monday, advancing with a 6-2 7-5 6-4 win in a tick over two hours.
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Musetti has now reached the quarterfinals in all four Grand Slams, joining Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the only men born after 2000 to do so.
“I feel very proud, honestly, because I know Taylor very well,” Musetti said after the match.
“We’ve played many battles. Last time, in Turin, he was the winner, so I came here with a different mentality. Today the serve was really working well, and I made one of my best performances with aces in my career so far, so I’m really, really happy.
“When I finished late last season, the goal was to start the year well, because I never surpassed the first week here. So, making the final in Hong Kong, winning the doubles in Hong Kong, and now in the quarterfinals – for me, it’s a dream.
Musetti’s record on hard courts improved to 7-1 in 2026. When asked what the secret to his improvement on the surface was, the Italian said it was a mindset shift.
“I have improved a lot on my serve and tried to be a little bit more aggressive on the forehand,” he said after hitting 13 aces to the American’s 10, as well as 13 more winners.
“I tried to use my variation to lead the game, to open the court and make the opening moves.
“Before, it was starting to play a little bit too far and a little bit passive on the rallies. Now I feel more energetic and aggressive. My coach keeps telling me to be a bit more aggressive and try to go for it, take the lead of the rally, and that’s what I have done today.”
His improvement on the surface will be put to the test in the final eight against a well-rested Novak Djokovic, who holds the record for the most wins and titles on hard courts in history.
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“We’ve played many, many times, and every time it’s a lesson,” Musetti said of Djokovic, who was gifted a passage to the quarterfinals when Jakub Mensik withdrew from AO 2026 with injury on Sunday.
“It’s such an honour to share the court against him … hopefully the rhythm of today, with the great match, will bring me luck. I feel ready to push him at his maximum.”
The Italian looked like an artist on Rod Laver Arena, dancing around Fritz’s heavy groundstrokes and countering with a rich variety of down-the-line forehand winners, heavily-spun one-handed backhands and deft drop shots.
Coming into the match, Fritz’s first serve loomed as a potential deciding factor, but with a 60 per cent first-serve percentage – and winning just 64 per cent of those points – the American was unable to quell Musetti’s creativity in the rallies.
Musetti’s flair lifted the packed crowd to its feet at 5-5, 0-30, when he extended a rally, drew Fritz into a neutral position and then detonated a forehand rocket that landed in the corner. He converted one of three break points in the game, leaving Fritz – who entered the match carrying knee and oblique issues – visibly deflated.
The moment was surpassed a set later, when Musetti produced a tweener lob that sent Fritz scrambling back, only for the American’s own tweener attempt to find the net.
Fans continued to marvel at Musetti’s ability to repeatedly paint the lines with deep slices and his touch at the net, where he picked up difficult half-volleys with control and precision, ensuring he remained unpredictable throughout.
Fritz departs Melbourne Park with more questions than answers surrounding his physical condition.
“When I went to do my pre-match stuff, like moving around and stuff before the match, I told my physio, ‘My knee just doesn’t feel great’,” he said.
“I was hoping it would loosen up … I don’t really think it got worse, but it kind of just stayed the same the entire match. Pretty much everything was bothering it.”
Fritz was also quick to praise Musetti’s performance.
“I really don’t want to take any credit away. He was playing really well, serving really well, and neutralising when I was attacking extremely well. He played great.”
The win improves Musetti’s record against the American to 4-3, with previous victories coming at the 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinals, the Olympic Games and Monte Carlo last season.
His record against fourth seed Djokovic tells a different story.
Since 2021, the 10-time Australian Open champion holds a 9-1 advantage over Musetti, including two wins at Roland Garros and one at Wimbledon. Djokovic prevailed in their most recent meeting in the final of an ATP 250 in Athens in November 2025, but Musetti arrives at this encounter as a very different proposition.
Monday’s first career straight-sets win over a top-10 opponent on hard courts underlined his growth, and he has yet to face Djokovic at a hard-court Grand Slam.