Australian Open 2023: Lorenzo Musetti vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (17) Lorenzo Musetti vs (PR) Lloyd Harris.
Date: 16 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Lloyd Harris preview
Lorenzo Musetti will lock horns with Lloyd Harris in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open on Monday.
Musetti clinched his maiden ATP title last year, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final to win the Hamburg European Open. A few months later, he claimed his second title at the Tennis Napoli Cup over compatriot Matteo Berrettini. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters, his first at the Masters 1000 level.
Musetti started the new season by representing Italy in the United Cup. He scored wins over Viktor Durasovic and Felipe Meligeni Alves in the group stage and defeated Daniel Michalski in the city finals. He then won against Stefanos Sakellaridis. The 20-year-old faced Frances Tiafoe in his singles tie in the final but retired due to an injury after losing the first set.
Harris went on a five-match losing streak at the start of 2022. He won his first match at the Indian Wells Masters but was later eliminated in the second round. At the Miami Open, he made it to the fourth round. During the clay swing, he reached the third round of the Barcelona Open and then lost in the opening round of his next four events.
Following his exit from the French Open, Harris announced that he'd skip the rest of the season as he needed surgery to treat a wrist injury. He's all set to make his comeback now, competing in his first match in over seven months.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Lloyd Harris odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Lorenzo Musetti vs Lloyd Harris prediction
Given this will be Harris' first match after a lengthy injury lay-off, he'll enter the contest with minimal expectations. That comes with its own freedom and given that Musetti is dealing with a minor injury of his own, there's potential for an upset.
The Italian started the year playing some brilliant tennis, but a shoulder injury stopped him from competing further in the United Cup. If not fully healed, it could certainly affect how he serves.
Harris is a pretty great server, blasting a high number of aces in most of his matches and backing it up with a high first serve percentage. Musetti's one-handed backhand is quite effective when it gets going and Harris will be keen to avoid letting him make the most of it.
However, there's no compensating for the lack of match play the 25-year-old lacks at the moment. Even if there are a few hiccups along the way, the young Italian should progress further.
Pick: Lorenzo Musetti to win in straight sets.