Lorenzo Musetti's return to the China Open a day after his controversial outburst on court was met with expected hostility, as the Italian got booed mercilessly by the fans. However, after the end of his match, things appear to have been patched after Musetti apologized to the people he offended with an unmistable gesture.Musetti took on Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard in his first encounter in Beijing, when he was interruped by a couple of coughs from fans in the stands. In a moment of frustration, the Italian sent accusations their way in Italian, which immediately triggered followers on social media.What the 23-year-old said and the way it was said felt like a xenophobic lashing out by many, leading to a huge controversy. Musetti had to issue an apology on social media right away, as he wrote:"I would like to sincerely apologize for what I said in frustration yesterday during my match. They were never, in any way, meant for the Chinese people. It happened in a moment of stress and tension in the second tiebreak, but still, this is no excuse at all."The apology note, however, did not put the matter to bed. When he returned to action on Sunday against Adrian Mannarino, Lorenzo Musetti was met with loud boos from the fans, who were not afraid to show their disappoint throughout the fixture.The World No. 9, undeterred, wrapped up the match in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-3 in a quick outing. Afterwards, unusually unexcited about the win, Musetti took the chance to apologize once more to the Chinese fans, doing so with a gesture of folded hands and showing his respect. The Italian also wrote 'Sorry' as his camera message, making sure the fans watching on TV also knew that he wanted to put the matter to bed once and for all. For what it's worth, a few fans could be spotted getting Musetti's autograph on his way out afterwards, hinting that things could be on the mend between him and the China Open fans. Lorenzo Musetti reached the final at the Chengdu Open last week with the Chiense fans behind him, but ended up losing to Alejandro Tabilo in a three-set thriller.What next for Lorenzo Musetti at the China Open?MotoGP Of San Marino - Race - Source: GettyFollowing his win over Adrian Mannarino, Lorenzo Musetti will next take on Learner Tien at the China Open in the quarterfinals. The American stunned Flavio Cobolli in the Round of 16, winning in straight sets.A win against Tien would likely pit Musetti against either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, followed by a potential final meeting against World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.