Djokovic and Musetti went toe to toe for almost three hours on Saturday—two hours and 59 minutes, to be exact—and it looked like Musetti might be on his way to his first ATP title in three years, as he broke in the third game of the match and held from there until he had the first set in his pocket.
After seven more holds to start the second set, Djokovic finally got his first break of the match for 5-3 and served it out to send the match to a third, where time and time again he inched ahead only for Musetti to catch back up—he led 3-1, then it was 3-all, then he led 5-3, then it was 5-all.
Serving in that 5-all game, Musetti had a point to hold for 6-5, but Djokovic not only won it, he actually ended up winning seven points in a row, breaking for 6-5 and then holding at love to finally seal the victory.
“Three hours of just a grueling match, physically super demanding,” Djokovic said afterwards. “Lorenzo played really well. It could’ve been anybody’s game, anybody’s match. Congrats to him for an amazing performance and I’m just really proud of myself to get through this one.”
Djokovic’s victory over Musetti meant that Felix Auger-Aliassime became the eighth qualifier for this year’s ATP Finals, but shortly after the final, Djokovic—who was the third player to qualify—withdrew from the event due to a shoulder injury, meaning Musetti got into the field in Turin, too.
