"Roger Federer came out of retirement", "Another nemesis for Alexander Zverev" - Fans react to Lorenzo Musetti stunning German in Vienna Open QF

Alexander Zverev suffered a shock loss at the hands of Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Friday, October 25. The German was the top seed at the ATP 500 event, and looked well on course for the semis for the most part of his encounter against Musetti. However, the Italian remarkably bounced back to register an emphatic 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 win over the World No. 3 and reach the semifinals.

Zverev, who won the title in Vienna back in 2021 after defeating Frances Tiafoe in the final, stormed past Musetti in a one-sided first set. For much of the second set as well, it was the German who led the scoreboard.

Musetti though, managed to dig deep and win the second-set tiebreak, taking the match into a decisive third set. Here, Zverev was found wanting, and the Italian ultimately emerged victorious by saving eight break points from 12 and hitting 35 winners.

Posts from the tennis community on Reddit

Unsurprisingly, tennis fans on Reddit reacted to the shock result. Some of them praised Lorenzo Musetti, with one opining that the Italian played like himself in the first set, but turned into the legendary Roger Federer in the second and third sets. Musetti himself idolized Federer growing up, and also has the one-handed backhand in common with the Swiss.

"Do not get fooled. Musetti played the first set. For the 2nd and the 3rd Federer came out of retirement to get a little revenge on Zverev. LFG Musetti!!!" a fan wrote.

"Musetti becoming another Nemesis for Zverev would be awesome... Medvedev, Fritz... That list needs to get longer," commented another fan.

"Filing this one in the "pleasant surprises" category," another chimed in.

Others ridiculed Alexander Zverev, who has often been made fun of in the past for losing important matches, even when they seem to be going completely in his favor. One particular fan also brought up the domestic abuse allegations against the German, which landed him in a controversial public trial earlier this year.

"Zverev in his "home" countries this year: Straight setted by washed Garin in Munich, Routined by Hurkacz in Halle, Chokes in Hamburg Final to Fils after going 1/22 on bp, Loses in Vienna to Musetti after being a set and 5-5 0-40 up," wrote one.

"The only domestic stuff he does well is violence lmao," another fan joked in response to the previous comment.

"I get a lot of joy seeing Zverev lose," weighed in yet another fan.

Earlier this year, Alexander Zverev found himself in pole position to win the 2024 French Open, but ultimately had to settle for second-best against Carlos Alcaraz.

Alexander Zverev threw away French Open 2024 final; slipped to defeat as Carlos Alcaraz won his third Major

Alexander Zverev (L) and Carlos Alcaraz (R) after the 2024 French Open men's singles final (Source: Getty)

The 2024 French Open final between Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz was a scrappy affair. However, when Zverev established a two-sets-to-one advantage over Alcaraz, it briefly felt like the German would finally go on to break his Grand Slam duck.

Unfortunately, as was the case in the final of the 2020 US Open against Dominic Thiem, Zverev could not maintain his level. Meanwhile, Alcaraz upped his own game, ultimately clinching his third Major title and maiden French Open crown with a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win.

The German is still widely regarded as one of the best players in contemporary tennis to have never won a Major. However, on the bright side, the World No. 3 has qualified for the year-end Nitto ATP Finals, a tournament he has won twice in the past (2018, 2021).