Sardinia 2020: Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann preview, head-to-head & prediction | Forte Village Sardegna Open

Match details

Fixture: Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann

Date: 16 October 2020

Tournament: Forte Village Sardegna Open 2020

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Sardinia, Italy

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €271,345

Live Telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel

Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann preview

Italian tennis has two teenagers who are rising up the ranks and making heads turn everywhere. Jannik Sinner has already had his big breakthrough at a Major, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. And his countryman, Lorenzo Musetti, has been making strides of his own.

Over the past month, Musetti has had wins over seven top 100 players, including the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori. He has also won an ATP Challenger title, and reached the round of 16 at the Rome Masters as a qualifier.

Now, with a ranking of No. 143, the 18-year-old is through to his first ever quarterfinal at the ATP Tour level. Musetti is beginning to fulfil the potential that people have been talking about for a long time now.

His next opponent is the 28-year-old Yannick Hanfmann, who is ranked No. 101 in the world (just four spots below his personal best). A decade older than Musetti, Hanfmann is also playing his best tennis in recent months; the German won his 6th ATP Challenger title in Todi, reached his 2nd ATP final at Kitzbuhel, and scored the biggest win of his career - over World No. 9 Gael Monfils - in Hamburg.

Yannick Hanfmann at the Hamburg Open 2020 in September

---

Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann head-to-head

This will be the first meeting on the ATP tour between Lorenzo Musetti and Yannick Hanfmann, and so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

But they did meet at the Todi Challenger in August, where Hanfmann won in three tough sets en route to clinching the title.

---

Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann prediction

Lorenzo Musetti at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome last month

Lorenzo Musetti's game has enormous potential, to say the least. The Italian has a big serve and aggressive groundstrokes (including a one-handed backhand that is a delight to watch), and can cover the court pretty well too.

Musetti hasn't dropped a set in his two matches this week, which included a win over the No. 8 seed Pablo Cuevas in the first round.

Yannick Hanfmann, who is hearing impaired, is also known for his big serve and powerful groundstrokes. The German has dropped only seven games in two matches this week, highlighted by a 6-2, 6-1 rout over the No. 3 seed Casper Ruud in the second round.

This promises to be an exciting match between two solid players in good form. Both Musetti and Hanfmann are guaranteed to reach new career-high rankings next week, irrespective of the result on Friday. I'm leaning slightly towards Hanfmann, only due to his experience.

Prediction: Yannick Hanfmann to win in three sets.