Stefanos Tsitsipas concluded an arduous day at the Foro Italico, emerging victorious over the hometown favorite Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 7-5, 7-5, securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open.

Despite Musetti’s formidable resistance, the 24-year-old Greek tennis star emerged victorious, eliminating the last remaining Italian contender. The straight-sets scoreline fails to capture the intensity of their closely contested encounter.

At the start of the match, Tsitsipas tried to establish a double-break advantage, but he found himself back on serve by the end of the set.

Musetti quickly relinquished his advantage; opting to execute an early backhand shot straight off the bounce, the Italian paid the price as he mishit the ball, ultimately conceding the set on a crucial set point.

The Italian crowd cheered their compatriot, but Tsitsipas exhibited greater composure, swiftly getting a 5-0 lead in their ATP Head2Head series.

As the action kicked off in Rome on Tuesday, three Italian singles players remained in the tournament.

However, by the day’s end, all three had been eliminated, with Tsitsipas prevailing over two of them.

The fifth seed achieved an impressive triumph earlier in the afternoon against Lorenzo Sonego, followed by an intense battle against the 18th seed, Musetti, in a match that commenced just before midnight.

“It was an incredibly eventful day,” Tsitsipas stressed during his on-court interview.

“I spent the entire day on the courts due to rain disruptions, so I’m pleased to see it culminate in this manner. Tonight, not today, I exerted tremendous effort, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Now, it’s time for rest and preparation. I believe tomorrow is a day off, so I must recharge and shift my focus to the upcoming challenge.”

Meanwhile Borna Coric, the reigning Cincinnati champion, brought an end to the extraordinary journey of Hungarian sensation Fabian Marozsan with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. This achievement marks Coric’s second consecutive appearance in the Masters 1000 quarter-finals, having previously reached the semi-finals in Madrid. His next challenge will be facing off against Tsitsipas.

“I have been working tirelessly in recent months, as my performance hasn’t met my expectations,” Coric said during his on-court interview.

“However, I can confidently say that I’ve started feeling better since last week. I have witnessed an improvement in my gameplay, and now it’s finally paying off.”