Lorenzo Musetti of Italy thrashed Daniel Michalski of Poland 6-1 6-1 in the Brisbane City final of the United Cup on Wednesday to give his country a well-deserved lead. The 20-year-old Italian produced a near-perfect performance to make short work of the Pole, who is two years his senior.
Musetti, who is known to be most comfortable while playing on clay, showed what he is capable of on a hard court with a stunning display. He gave Michalski no chance whatsoever to register an emphatic win.
Musetti was off to a brilliant start:
The Italian was off to a fantastic start, breaking Michalski to love in the very first game of the match. He hit a number of winners off his forehand to mark a commanding performance. Some of his down-the-line forehand winners were hit at a blistering pace.
Michalski tried to force issues by coming into the net, but Musetti then started hitting passing shots with seeming ease. He thus broke the Pole twice more in the first set itself and held his serve throughout to win the set convincingly.
The Italian continued his superb performance in the second set, as Michalski was reduced to a mere spectator
The barrage of winners continued from the Italian in the second set as well. He blasted passing shots to stun the Pole and hit quite a few powerful groundstrokes. Musetti also went around his backhand frequently to hit inside-out and inside-in forehands, including a few times while returning the serve.
The Italian raced to a 4-0 lead in the set, breaking the Pole twice in the process. Michalski managed to avoid a bagel, but could not win more than one game in the second set either. It was a fabulous performance from the talented youngster, and he will be a force to reckon with in the upcoming Australian Open.
Main Photo from Getty.
