Lorenzo Musetti Once Again Complains About Chinese Crowd Disrupting His Match in Shanghai by Coughing
Lorenzo Musetti has not yet clinched a title since winning the Tennis Napoli Cup in 2022.
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Lorenzo Musetti (Image via X/Jose Morgado)
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Lorenzo Musetti‘s fourth-round match in Shanghai ended not in his favor as he suffered a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime. Once again, Musetti complained about the Chinese fans who coughed loudly when the Italian was serving in the second set.
Musetti drew flak for his rant against Chinese fans while he was locking horns with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the China Open last month. He said Chinese fans were “always coughing,” and this remark was perceived as racist by some.
Musetti took to Instagram and shared a lengthy post to apologize. But when he heard the coughing once again while he was serving, he requested the umpire to ask those spectators to stop coughing.
I understand a few times … I made a mistake, OK, but this is not possible every point. It’s too much. Say something.
Musetti was not the only one to receive harsh criticism from the Chinese fans. Last month, American Taylor Townsend expressed her criticism toward the food items prepared from sea cucumber and bullfrogs that were served in a restaurant ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Shenzhen.
Musetti last won a title at the 2022 Tennis Napoli Cup by beating compatriot Matteo Berrettini. But since then, he lost six finals, including this year’s Monte Carlo Masters and the Chengdu Open at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz and Alejandro Tabilo, respectively.
Colin Fleming disagrees with Lorenzo Musetti
Former English player Colin Fleming was covering the Shanghai Masters for Sky Sports Tennis, and while commentating, he did not agree with Lorenzo Musetti‘s complaints. Fleming pointed out that there is always some kind of disruption during matches, citing Wimbledon’s example, where champagne corks often disrupted the matches, including the final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
It’s not a good look, is it? If he were 6-2, 5-4 up, he would not be mentioning it. I don’t think it’s been noticeably bad. In any crowd of any size, there is going to be some noise. We had the champagne cork. It’s not deliberate. I think what this is is just frustration spilling over, and he needs to watch it here because it’s not the way to go. I actually think that the crowd is very respectful to the players, and that’s why it’s so quiet and you hear some coughing, but at any big crowd, you are going to get that.
Musetti had the chance to widen the gap between him and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the ATP Live Race to Turin, but the defeat means the World No.8 is 530 points ahead of the Canadian ace. Auger-Aliassime and Musetti have 2,905 and 3,435 points, respectively. The 12th seed stands in the 10th spot in the ATP Live Race to Turin.
He will next be locking horns with Arthur Rinderknech, who went past Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. Before the Shanghai Masters, Auger-Aliassime reached the Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals and the US semifinals, losing both to World No.2 Sinner.
The win has helped the 25-year-old tie the head-to-head record with Musetti. Prior to Shanghai, Musetti knocked out the World No.13 in the third round of this year’s Miami Open.
Auger-Aliassime has won two titles this year. He defeated Sebastian Korda at the Adelaide International, following which, he went past Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Open Sud de France. But he couldn’t beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Auger-Aliassime has featured in 18 finals and is chasing the eighth title of his career. He has so far played just one Masters 1000 final, at the 2024 Madrid Open, losing that match to Andrey Rublev.
Also read: Aryna Sabalenka Seeks Credit From Novak Djokovic for his Heroic Performances in Shanghai
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