Match Details
Fixture: (1) Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar.
Date: March 1, 2023.
Tournament: Chile Open.
Round: Second Round (Round of 16).
Venue: Club Deportivo Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Outdoor Clay.
Prize money: $642,735.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Australia - beIN Sports | Canada - TSN.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar preview
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti will square off against World No. 66 Jaume Munar in the second round of the 2023 Chile Open.
Musetti started the season on a strong note, winning all four of his singles ties in the United Cup. His only defeat came in the final against Frances Tiafoe. The Italian was unable to carry this momentum into the Australian Open, however, as he lost a five-set battle against Lloyd Harris in the first round.
Following a first-round bye at the Argentina Open, Musetti knocked out Pedro Cachin to reach the quarterfinals. He was the favorite to win against Juan Pablo Varillas, but lost to him in straight sets.
At last week's Rio Open, Musetti was stunned by qualifier Nicholas Jarry in the opening round. As the top seed at the Chile Open, he was the recipient of a first-round bye.
Meanwhile, Jaume Munar took on Alejandro Tabilo in the first round of the Chile Open. He was completely dominant in the opening set, dishing out a bagel to clinch it. The Spaniard trailed 3-1 in the second set, but fought back to level the score.
Tabilo gained the upper hand in the proceeding tie-break to claim it as he pushed the match into the deciding set. Munar jumped to a 3-0 lead in the third set, but was unable to hold on to it as his opponent bagged the next four games in a row to go 4-3 up.
Now trailing by a break, Munar got back on serve immediately. The set soon went into a tie-break with the Spaniard coming out on top to win 6-0, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5).
Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Musetti and Munar at the ATP level, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar prediction
Jaume Munar scored just his second win of the year by defeating Alejandro Tabilo in the first round here. He started off strong but had to contend with a spirited challenge from his opponent before emerging victorious.
Meanwhile, the last few weeks have been tough for Lorenzo Musetti, with three of his most recent losses coming to players ranked outside the top 100. During his loss to Nicholas Jarry at last week's Rio Open, he failed to come up with a single break point.
Munar's record against players ranked in the top 20 isn't too impressive as he has just seven wins over them and 28 losses. The Spaniard's best results have come on clay, so he'll certainly fancy his chances against Musetti. The Italian, on his part, will aim to conclude the golden swing on a positive note.
Musetti has a higher ceiling compared to Munar, so even if the 20-year-old raises his level by a fair bit, he should be able to advance further.
Pick: Lorenzo Musetti to win in three sets.