Hamburg Open 2022: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Lorenzo Musetti Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Hamburg Open as Carlos Alcaraz takes on Lorenzo Musetti in the final on Sunday, July 24th, 2022.

Two of the brightest young talents in the men’s game will contest the 2022 Hamburg Open final. Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti have played exceptional tennis this week, but only one of them will have the right to earn the champions crown. So who will prevail? Let us take a look at the matchup in detail.

Carlos Alcaraz, simply put, has played breathtaking tennis enroute to the Hamburg Open final. Is there any ball this 19-year-old cannot get to? His retrieval skills are up there with the likes of Djokovic and Nadal in my opinion, and that tells you a lot about his precocity that not many young players of his age possess or are blessed to have. The way he dismissed Karen Khachanov in that quarterfinal was just next level tennis and I am intrigued to see the kind of game plan Lorenzo Musetti will bring to the final.

Lorenzo Musetti, for his part, has been equally impressive. After dodging Dusan Lajovic in that epic first-round match, the young Italian has stormed into his first ATP final with rousing wins over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and the Bastad champion Francisco Cerundolo. Against Cerundolo in particular we did get to see two sides of Musetti. First, he dominated proceedings, using his artistry to outsmart the high-flying Argentine. But then his failed underarm serve tactic on match point nearly cost him the match. Thankfully Musetti regrouped and maintained his composure to close out the semifinal in straight sets.

Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Both players are members of the ATP’s Next Gen project, with Alcaraz being the leading light. The Spaniard’s ascension to become a tennis superstar has caught many by surprise, including the man himself. Musetti’s rise has been sporadic, with spasmodic moments of brilliance often followed by periods of inconsistency. But at the Hamburg Open, it all came together for him and he will contest his first ATP final on Sunday. I’m not writing off Musetti’s chances simply because he does possess a lot of variety in his game that is perhaps needed to beat Alcaraz. Going all guns blazing in a baseline battle against the Spaniard is asking for trouble, because he can switch defense into attack within a blink of an eye. But at the same time, Alcarazz’s experience in playing big matches and in final cannot be overstated, so he might be the player that settles fully in the contest.