Musetti, a late replacement after the withdrawal of seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, began brightly but started to tire despite the backing of a largely partisan crowd at the Inalpi Arena, and Fritz proved unstoppable once his service game got going.

The turning point came in the third game when Fritz saved four break points, serving two aces in the process, and then broke Musetti to lead 3-1. The Italian, who won to love in his first service game, faced break points for the rest of the first set.

–Reuters–