Lorenzo Musetti secures maiden Nitto ATP Finals victory with a rollercoaster success over Alex de Minaur in Turin

Lorenzo Musetti wowed the Turin crowd as he secured a maiden Nitto ATP Tour Finals victory over Alex de Minaur.

The Italian debutant claimed his fourth straight success over the Aussie with a rollercoaster 7-5 3-6 7-5 triumph in two hours and 47 minutes.

It gave Musetti his first Top 10 win on a hard court this year and also left de Minaur still searching for that elusive first victory at the event having now lost five out of five overall.

In what clearly felt like a make-or-break clash in terms of both players’ hopes of realistically progressing from Jimmy Connors Group, it was the Italian who seized the only break of a surprisingly serve dominated first set.

De Minaur was repeatedly guilty of overcooking his forehand but finally made an impact on the return in the second stanza to break for a 5-3 lead before consolidating to force a decider.

The Aussie suddenly had an extra spring in his step and immediately broke to love in the opening game of the third set.

It looked like being the key moment, but de Minaur grew passive and nervy trying to serve it out and an adrenalin-fuelled Musetti broke back to level at five apiece.

The Italian went on to make it four games in a row from 3-5 down to stun his opponent and clinch an unlikely victory on his second match point with a sensational forehand pass on the run.

The result means all four players are still alive in the group heading into the final matches on Thursday.

De Minaur rides his own rollercoaster once more.

The seventh seed is pegged to 30-30 and sizzles off the island to offer up match point.

A bullet forehand down the line staves it off, but Musetti comes again and produces a Hollywood forehand pass on the run to seal victory in style!

What. A. Comeback!

What happened to the tiring Musetti?

The Italian beats his chest as he outlasts de Minaur in another gruelling rally to move 40-0 up.

De Minaur offers some resistance but the Italian’s sweet backhand down the line seals the game to 30.

A penny for Alex’s thoughts now; he was serving for the match a few moments ago, but he’ll now have to hold to stay in it.

De Minaur slams down a 10th ace of the evening but is unlocked by a huge forehand down the line from his opponent that lifts the crowd once more.

Musetti takes control of the next rally but lashes his forehand narrowly wide.

 The Aussie is then bamboozled by a stunning lob that he can only knock back for Musetti to up the ante with an angled volley.

It’s shaky from Demon and he just misses the line with a forehand that gives the Italian break point.

Musetti is clearly the player with all the intent and a massive inside-out forehand winner levels the match as de Minaur pays the price for being too nervy.

Musetti gives himself one last chance to turn this around as he completes a hold to 30 with an ace.

The crowd will try to play on Demon’s nerves now. Can he hold it together to pick up that first ever ATP Finals win?

Musetti is literally hopping mad with himself as he slithers a slice into the top of the net.

He was probing hard for a 0-30 advantage there but in the end he has to play catch-up as Demon just about does enough with an overhead.

The Italian then ignites the crowd as he ducks low to his right on the run to claw a forehand pass down the line.

He turns and points to his ear to hear the crescendo of noise from a wowed Turin faithful.

The best rally of the match then ensues with Demon back pedalling to put away a smash that leads to both players tumbling to the floor.

The Aussie booms down an ace to finish and is now just one game from victory.

Musetti conjures up a lovely, angled volley to reap the rewards from a stinging crosscourt backhand to move 30-15 up.

It’s evidence the Italian is still in there fighting, but the lapses are more regular now given his fatigue and a miscue long coughs up a break point.

With alarm bells ringing he digs extra deep with a spellbinding backhand down the line and beastly crosscourt forehand.

De Minaur tries to play patient but jabs a backhand a whisker long and Musetti ticks off another service game in his favour.

The home favourite is an underdog now, but if Demon gets twitchy heading towards the finish line, he’s close enough to take advantage.

De Minaur hammers a forehand way long in the opening point to pique the interest of the Italian crowd.

The Aussie then comes unstuck in a lengthy 23-shot rally to feel some nervous tension at Pulp (30-30).

Musetti engineers the opening for a big forehand but blasts just long and then hooks a poor backhand way off the island and the fact you can hear a pin drop in the arena shows that the game ends in Demon’s favour. 

Musetti is clearly feeling the fatigue now, but Demon can’t quite take full advantage to pocket the insurance.

The Aussie shanks a horrible miscue in the opening point that barely reaches the net and when he does trouble the board it’s via a second shaky overhead that just about lands in.

Despite that, he still manages to lure an error long to earn a break point.

Musetti deploys a sweet serve and volley tactic to swat it away and then lands a clutch serve to seize game point.

De Minaur tires to keep the heat on but guns a crosscourt forehand on the stretch into the net and Lorenzo survives to remain in the hunt.

Musetti sails to his left deep behind his baseline and somehow glides a delightful, low backhand pass that flummoxes his opponent.

The Italian is at it again with a crosscourt winner off that flank but he can’t do it for a third time as de Minaur earns game point after being pegged back from 30-0 up.

The crowd cheer the Aussie’s error as he prolongs this first test in a while by drilling low into the net.

There’s then a lengthy eight-minute delay for a medical emergency in the crowd.

When play resumes de Minaur flashes a backhand long to cough up break point but conjures up a clutch serve to immediately stave it off.

The Aussie then clouts a forehand down the line and an ace down the T to maintain his advantage.

The murmurs of concern grow in volume among the Italian crowd as de Minaur hits back from 30-0 down.

It’s now or never time for Musetti if he wants to stay in the hunt and he’s grateful that the Aussie’s radar suddenly goes slightly AWOL as a forehand flies long to let Lorenzo back on to the board.

De Minaur has to work harder than many would have been anticipating given how that previous game went, but comes up trumps from Pulp (30-30) as he drills away a mid-court forehand to consolidate and leave Lorenzo feeling even more heavy-legged.

Musetti looks like his tank is empty.

The Italian needs a big game here and the aid of the crowd to boost his energy levels, but it’s the opposite as he folds with a succession of flat points to drop serve to love.

All square!

De Minaur demonstrates super hands at the net once more to tee up two set points and then gets it done on the second with a clutch body serve.

Musetti looks at his team in shock as he dumps a mid-court forehand into the net.

It’s been plain-sailing for the Italian but he’s undone out of the blue as Demon makes two forays forward to produce a pair of excellent volleys and snare break points.

There’s no escape for the Italian either as a rocket crosscourt forehand concludes a lively rally to force the error.

Demon will now swerve to take us into a decider.

There’s plenty of areas where Demon can raise his game here. That’s a real positive given that he’s still on serve in this second stanza.

Indeed, this is as good as it’s been for some while as he nails an ace and powers away a plus-one forehand to hold to love and remain on control of the board heading into the business end of this set.

Now it’s the de Minaur backhand that misfires as he drills an attempt up the line into the net and then thrashes one just long.

It leaves Musetti on easy street as forces an error off a crosscourt backhand to chalk up a routine game for the loss of one point.

De Minaur opens with an ace but is quickly facing up to some pressure when he swoops a rapid, low return into the net via his backhand.

A crisp 1-2 punch off the forehand helps him steady the ship and sharp work from the forecourt turns the game his way.

A clutch serve finishes the job and he remains in the box seat as this set begins to heat up.

De Minaur is so often a major threat on the return but he’s made little impact so far.

Musetti bangs an ace down the T to polish off another efficient hold to 15 to quickly level matters once more.

De Minaur is much more solid in this latest game, controlling the forehand much better en route to a routine hold to 15.

He’ll be aware that Musetti has played an awful lot of tennis of late without any time to recharge, so if he can make this physical and take this the distance, he may well feel his chances are still pretty good despite the current situation.