
Casper Ruud defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-1 at the Italian Open, advancing to the quarterfinals. After the match, Ruud sent a supportive message to Musetti, wishing him a speedy recovery.
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Casper Ruud cruised past Lorenzo Musetti, 6-3, 6-1, to reach the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
Musetti has been dealing with fitness issues throughout the season, and he didnāt look anywhere near full strength in this match.
After sealing the win, Ruud wrote āFeel better, Loreā on the camera lens as a message to his opponent.
He followed it up with some more words of encouragement for Musetti during his post-match interview.
Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images
Ruud was happy with the win and his overall play, but he acknowledged that Musetti wasnāt fully fit.
āI was really, really happy with this win,ā he said.
āLore [Musetti] was maybe not 100%. I was actually watching the match with [Francisco] Cerundolo and him the other day. Towards the end, it got quite dramatic, Lore was limping a little bit.
āItās not easy when you go out, you see the tape there, thatās the brutality of tennis. You try to do anything you can against your opponent and take advantage. Youāre not quite sure what state he is in; itās easy to think too much about him and not about yourself, but I think I did that quite well today.
āA little bit of a wobbly first set, but got an early break, and served it out.
Ruud also commented on the conditions in Rome, which made things more difficult than usual.
āIt was windy!ā Ruud explained. āComing one way when youāre against the wind makes it tougher on clay.ā
The 25-year-old elaborated on how playing into a headwind changes his approach:
Ruud will now prepare for his fifth Italian Open quarter-final appearance where he will face either Karen Khachanov or Dino Prizmic next.
Casper Ruud won the match against Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
Casper Ruud wrote 'Feel better, Lore' on the camera lens as a message to Lorenzo Musetti after the match.
Lorenzo Musetti has been dealing with fitness issues throughout the season, affecting his performance.


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Itās easy to forget that Musetti led Novak Djokovic by two sets to love at the Australian Open in January.
Unfortunately for Musetti, he picked up an injury at the worst possible time, forcing him to retire from that match.
Since then, heās struggled to rediscover the form that sent him to the ATP Finals in 2025.
After making the semi-finals of all three clay-court Masters 1000 events and Roland Garros last year, fans hoped he would deliver similar results in 2026.
That hasnāt happened, leaving Musetti with work to do before the French Open begins.
The question is no longer whether Musetti can challenge for the Roland Garros title, but whether he will be fit to compete.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24, although Musetti is scheduled to play in Hamburg beforehand.
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