Former world No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti fought back from a set down to knock out top seed Flavio Cobolli in an enthralling three-set contest to reach his first final this season in Lyon on Saturday.
Saturday's second semifinal at the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes featured an all-Italian duel between world No. 6 Flavio Cobolli and world No. 26 Lorenzo Musetti.
Fine margins separated the players in the early stages of a high-quality encounter, which the Carrara-born eventually won 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in two hours and 33 minutes to secure his place in the ATP 250 final.
In his on-court interview, he shared: "It’s really tough to play a friend like Flavio. I know how important this match was for him. But in the same way, because I haven’t played many tournaments, having the chance to reach a final and get back in shape, it means so much.
"I fought until the end. We both probably deserved to win."
A balanced first set went with serves as they fiercely rallied to hold their ground in intense exchanges.
Hitting the ball cleanly off both wings, they pushed each other to the edge, both having battled relentlessly in the quarterfinals just the day before.
Musetti took a tablet ahead of the eighth game, giving signs of some physical discomfort in his right arm.
For his part, the Florence native painted the lines with superb feel and touch in a monumental 10th game featuring extended baseline rallies.
Having found his groove on the forehand side, he constructed the points with brilliance, breaking first to seal the opener 6-4 in 56 minutes.
As the world No. 26 stepped back on court, he quickly hit back, converting the early break and held to take a 2-0 lead in the second set.
Dictating the rhythm from the get-go, the 24-year-old took control of the set in the seventh game, breaking to love to serve for the match.
With the wind in his sails, the former world No. 5 used his trademark backhand well before closing out 6-2 in just 32 minutes to level the contest.
After a brief talk with the chair umpire, Cobolli took a medical time-out during the changeover.
As they went toe-to-toe, Musetti saved four match points in the 10th game, a massive effort by Simone Tartarini's pupil to level the scoreline 5-5.
Then, he went the extra mile in the edgy decider, holding his nerve to convert a clinical break in the 11th game, one game away from victory.
Serving for a place in Sunday's final, he made the most of his chances, pocketing the set 7-5 and the match with his fighting spirit intact.
It is the first final of the season for the Italian player who has struggled physically with injuries.
Chasing the Crown
On Friday, both Italians dug deep in the quarterfinals, two three-set battles for the ages.
Musetti achieved his 200th career win on Tour in a dramatic contest against the spirited Luca Van Assche, who pushed the former to a decider.
Eventually, the sixth seed wrapped up proceedings in three hours and 33 minutes, finishing his match past midnight.
Previously, Cobolli had rallied from a set down to edge fifth seed Brandon Nakashima 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 45 minutes.
Earlier on Saturday, No. 2 seed Taylor Fritz overpowered fellow countryman Tommy Paul in a world-class matchup to earn his place in the final.
The American player secured a 6-3, 7-5 win in one hour and 41 minutes on Court Central Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.
Courtside, the world No. 14 commented: "I thought it was a super high level. I played so many points as good as I could play and he still beat me. And I think the other way around, too.
"There weren’t many free points on either side. We made each other work for it a lot."
On Friday, Fritz powered into the last four for the fifth time this season, prevailing over world No. 65 Daniel Altmaier in straight sets.
He opened his campaign on French soil with a solid 6-2, 7-5 victory over home hope Pierre Hugues Herbert.
Yet to drop a set, the 28-year-old is 3-4 in the head-to-head series against Musetti.
They last met at the Australian Open round of 16, early this year, a match the Italian won in straight sets.