Fate plays tricks; twice reaching the finals of the Chengdu Open, Musetti has always fallen just short of the championship.

Many tennis fans recognize the Italian player Musetti. Back in 2021, he advanced to the round of 16 in his maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros. His opponent then was the Serbian ace Djokovic. Musetti took the first two sets, and despite Djokovic leveling the match by winning the next two, Musetti chose to retire while heavily behind in the final set.

Several years have passed, and Musetti has made significant progress in both Grand Slams and Masters tournaments. However, over the past two years at the ATP 250 Chengdu Open held in China, the top seed has repeatedly missed out on the title. So, what exactly is going on? Let this article guide you through the story.

Last season, Musetti reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. Moreover, he won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, marking the first time in a century that an Italian tennis player earned an Olympic medal. Thanks to these impressive achievements, Musetti entered the ATP 250 Chengdu Open as the top seed.

After receiving a first-round bye, Musetti faced Australian player O'Connell in the second round. Despite losing the first set in a tiebreak, he came back to win the next two sets and advanced with difficulty. In the quarterfinals, Musetti battled through three sets to defeat the fifth seed, French veteran Mannarino. In the semifinals, he convincingly beat Russian qualifier Kachmazov to reach the final.

In the final, Musetti faced Chinese young talent Shang Juncheng, who was making his first career final on the tour. In the first set, both players held serve consistently, with the score remaining tight. Although Shang broke Musetti's serve to take the lead, Musetti quickly responded by breaking back, forcing a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Shang scored frequently and took the first set, gaining the upper hand for the title.

In the second set, Shang broke Musetti's serve early to gain the lead. He maintained relentless pressure, not giving Musetti any chance, and secured consecutive points to dominate. Thus, Shang claimed his first career tour title, while Musetti had to settle for the runner-up position.

In the 2025 season, Musetti achieved new career milestones at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. At one point, his world ranking even climbed into the top 6. Because of this, he entered the ATP 250 Chengdu Open again as the top seed, receiving a first-round bye as usual. In the second round, he won a tough three-set match against Croatian player Prizmic to advance.

In the quarterfinals, Musetti defeated Georgian qualifier Baslashvili convincingly to reach the semifinals. There, he allowed Kazakh player Shevchenko to win only four games throughout the match. After this smooth victory, Musetti reached the Chengdu Open final for the second time. His opponent in the final was Chilean player Tabillo, who had advanced from the qualifiers.

In the first set, Tabillo quickly found his rhythm and scored consecutively, winning 6-3 to take the early lead. Musetti adjusted in the second set, winning 6-2 to even the match and push it to a deciding set. In the final set, Musetti reached match point first. However, Tabillo miraculously extended the match to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, despite Musetti holding a big lead, Tabillo staged a comeback and ultimately snatched the championship away.

It is worth noting that this was Tabillo’s first tour title of the 2025 season, making him the first South American player to win the Chengdu Open. Meanwhile, Musetti had to once again accept the disappointment of finishing as runner-up. That concludes today's tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)