Defending Champion Musetti Claims Opening Win In Hamburg

Reigning champion Lorenzo Musetti made a winning start to his title defence at the Hamburg European Open on Tuesday when he cruised past Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-1.

Competing under the roof at the ATP 500 clay-court event, Musetti combined guile with power to outfox Ymer. The 21-year-old Italian won 76 per cent (23/34) of his first-serve points and broke Ymer’s serve five times to triumph after one hour and 16 minutes.

“It took a little bit to get the momentum going. It was not easy because the opponent was playing well, pretty aggressive from the beginning,” Musetti said. “In the end I think I found the right balance, the right rhythm. I have good memories from last year and I am really feeling good here.”

Musetti is chasing his third tour-level trophy and first of the season, having also won in Naples in October 2022. The third seed, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the title match in Germany last year, will face Thiago Seyboth Wild or Jozef Kovalik in the second round.

Musetti now holds a 15-10 record on clay this season. The World No. 18’s deepest runs this year were semi-final appearances at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona in April and at the ATP 250 in Bastad last week.