Lorenzo Musetti eventually shook off a persistent Carlos Alcaraz in the German Open final to beat the Spaniard 6-4 6-7(6) 6-4 in Hamburg.
Alcaraz saved five championship points in the second set to deny a straight-sets Musetti victory after the Italian won the opener.
Despite his impressive efforts to take the match all the way, Musetti composed himself and won the third set 6-4 to claim the Hamburg European Open.
The defeat for Alcaraz comes a day before he is set to become the youngest player to crack the ATP’s top five rankings since 22-time Grand Slam singles champion Rafael Nadal achieved it in 2005.
The rankings are set to be announced on Monday, and will feature 19-year-old Alcaraz after he beat Alex Molcan to reach the final in his debut appearance at the Hamburg Open in Germany.
At the time Nadal entered the top five, he was 18 years and 11 months old, three months younger than Alcaraz, who is set to be named in the top five at 19 years and two months old.
Alcaraz has already begun to follow in his compatriot’s footsteps after he became the youngest player to enter the ATP top 10 since Nadal earlier this year.
