Sardinia 2020: Lorenzo Musetti vs Andrea Pellegrino preview, head-to-head & prediction | Forte Village Sardegna Open
Match details
Fixture: Lorenzo Musetti vs Andrea Pellegrino
Date: 15 October 2020
Tournament: Forte Village Sardegna Open
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Sardinia, Italy
Category: ATP 250 series
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €271,345
Match timing: Approx. 12 pm CEST, 3.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Lorenzo Musetti vs Andrea Pellegrino preview
After a fantastic performance at the Italian Open, Lorenzo Musetti kicked off his Forte Village Sardegna Open campaign in style with a straight-sets win over the eighth seed Pablo Cuevas. The Italian will now lock horns with compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in the second round.
Musetti had defeated some big names of the tennis world, including Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori, at the Rome Masters. He lost to Dominik Koepfer in the pre-quarterfinals, but he won the home fans' hearts by playing exceptionally well in the earlier rounds.
The highlight of his Italian Open campaign was a bagel set win over former French Open champion Wawrinka in the first round.
The Italian teenager competed in a couple of Challenger events after the Rome Masters too. He won the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Forli Challenger event, but lost to Frances Tiafoe in the second round of the Parma tourney.
Interestingly, Lorenzo Musetti's opponent Andrea Pellegrino had teamed up with him in the men's doubles competition of the Forli Challenger event.
The 23-year-old Pellegrino registered two hard-fought victories during the qualifying rounds in Sardinia before meeting Stefano Travaglia in the main draw's opening round. He had almost sealed the deal before Travaglia retired, with the scoreline reading 4-6, 7-6, 3-0 in Pellegrino's favor.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Andrea Pellegrino head-to-head
Lorenzo Musetti and Andrea Pellegrino have never battled each other on the ATP tour, so their head-to-head record currently stands at 0-0. They had met in a couple of Challenger events last year, where Pellegrino downed his rival on both occasions.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Andrea Pellegrino prediction
Although the Challenger level matches between Andrea Pellegrino and Lorenzo Musetti ended in the former's favor, the upcoming game will probably produce a different result. Musetti has been in excellent touch of late.
The teenager's big serve and one-handed backhand are his strengths, but he can also hit a mean forehand and move quickly around the court. Given their respective skill-set, Musetti has a great chance of beating his older countryman in the second round of the Forte Village Sardegna Open.
Prediction: Lorenzo Musetti to win in straight sets.