Musetti beats Fritz in Lyon final to end four-year title drought

Two days after he was four points from defeat, Lorenzo Musetti lifted a trophy again. The Italian beat second seed Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4 in 80 minutes in Sunday's final at the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in Lyon. It's the third ATP Tour title of his career and his first since Naples in October 2022.

The win also ends a frustrating run. Musetti had lost seven tour-level finals in a row before Lyon, and this was his second final of 2026.

Saved from the brink against Cobolli

The title nearly slipped away in an all-Italian semi-final. Flavio Cobolli held four match points against his compatriot, but Musetti saved them all and came back to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. According to the ATP, that made him the ninth player this season to save match points on the way to a tour-level title.

"I saved four match points to play a fantastic final. I think I played probably my best tennis so I'm really happy and proud of this win," Musetti said afterwards. He also credited his fighting spirit: "The spirit of fight was the key for this tournament. I had an incredible attitude."

Earlier in the week, Musetti beat 17-year-old Frenchman Moïse Kouamé in the second round and Luca Van Assche in a three-set quarter-final.

A one-sided final

Fritz had not dropped a set all week, but he never settled on Sunday. Musetti broke him right away in both sets and used his spin, variety and movement to control the rallies. Fritz made 28 unforced errors. Musetti did not face a break point all match and won 14 of 20 points on his second serve, according to Tennis Now.

Musetti now leads Fritz 5-3 in their head-to-head. Fritz was gracious in defeat: "Congrats to Lorenzo, you played a really good match... You definitely deserve it."

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Musetti said he felt pain before he walked on court but that his tennis came together once he focused on the match.

Rankings boost and a tough Vienna opener

The title lifts Musetti to No. 24 in the ATP Live Rankings. For Fritz, losing the final hurts his hopes of reaching Turin. He moves up one place to 12th in the Race but is still 464 points behind Rafael Jodar, who holds the last qualifying spot in ninth.

Musetti will not get much of a break. At the ATP 500 in Vienna he faces sixth seed Frances Tiafoe in the first round, with a chance to extend his winning run to six matches. Cobolli is in the same half of the draw. He is seeded fourth and opens against wildcard Grigor Dimitrov, so another all-Italian meeting is possible later in the week. Top seed Alexander Zverev, who can become World No. 1 in Vienna, is also in that half.