Musetti Storms into Second Consecutive Chengdu Final
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti powered his way into the Chengdu Open final for the second consecutive year, defeating Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-1 in just one hour and four minutes on Center Court this evening.
The world No.9 was in commanding form, not facing a single break point while converting four of eight break opportunities against his world No.96 opponent. Musetti’s win makes him the first player in tournament history to reach the final twice.
“I’m really happy and proud. My biggest goal, of course, is to win and lift the trophy, but that’s a goal for tomorrow. Today it was important to show a higher level of tennis, and that’s probably what I needed to succeed. I definitely improved my game and the feeling I had on court was much better compared to earlier rounds, so I’m really, really happy about that,” said the 23-year-old.
Earlier in the day, Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo delivered a clinical performance to oust fourth seed Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(0) in one hour and 34 minutes, booking his fifth ATP Tour final and first since claiming Mallorca last year.
The former world No.19, who has battled injuries and inconsistent form this season, was dominant on serve, facing no break points throughout the match. After dropping his serve in the fifth game of the first set to trail, Nakashima steadied in the second, but Tabilo proved unplayable in the tiebreak. An early mini-break in the opening point set the tone, and the Chilean’s confidence only grew as he swept through the remainder of the tiebreak.
The world No.112, who will re-enter the Top 100 with the points gained from his Chengdu run, also became the first Chilean to reach a Tour-level final this season and the first South American finalist in Chengdu Open history.
“I think he was very solid throughout the match and was serving well so I had to be patient. But I think I started off well and was also serving well today as well, so I’m happy with my performance. It’s been an up and down season, with a few months out, so I’m just so happy to back in another final. Hopefully I can finish it off tomorrow but I’m just trying to take this all in and enjoy every moment,” said the 28-year-old.
Tomorrow’s final between Musetti and Tabilo will be their first meeting at Tour-level, having previously faced off once at Challenger level in Antalya in 2021, where the Italian won in straight sets.
“He’s a super tricky opponent, even if he doesn’t have the ranking he once did. We haven’t played much, and this will be our first meeting on hard court. He’s fast, serves really well, and has all the tools—he’s also reached finals before. It will be interesting to battle against him,” said Musetti ahead of the clash.
In doubles, American-Dutch duo Vasil Kirkov and Bart Stevens defeated fourth-seeded British-American pair Luke Johnson and Austin Krajicek 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 8 minutes to move into the final.
This marks the best result yet for the pair, who have been regular partners since October 2024 and captured four Challenger titles together. It is the first ATP Tour final for Kirkov, while Stevens reaches his second career final, having previously made the Montpellier final this year with Tallon Griekspoor.
Tomorrow’s doubles final, scheduled for 4pm, will see Kirkov and Stevens face the German-Dutch pairing of Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase. The two teams have never met before, though both Kirkov and Stevens have previously partnered with Haase, most recently during the clay season earlier this year.
Tickets for the 2025 Chengdu Open are available via the Damai App, as well as through the WeChat and Alipay Mini Programs.
The tournament is organised by the Chinese Tennis Association and Chengdu Municipal Government, co-organised by the Chengdu Sports Bureau, Shuangliu District Government, the Chengdu Culture and Tourism Group, promoted by IMG and the Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd, and operated by the Chengdu Sports Events Industry Development Co., Ltd.
The Chengdu Open is also very proud to have the support of our distinguished partners, including Chengdu Rural Commercial Bank, CSWADI Photon Technology Co., People’s Insurance Company of China, Bank of Chengdu, Li-Ning, the ATP Tour’s Premier Partner Emirates, Yonex, Jingdong Logistics, Gran Melia Chengdu, Lynk & Co, Damai, Yi-Mian, COFCO Coca-Cola, Chengdu Radio and Television, Youku Sports, Tencent Sports, Migu and Bilibili.
