By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, June 2, 2023
Making moving melody is Lorenzo Sonego’s hobby.
Tuning into the musical muse, Sonego rocked Court Lenglen and shocked seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev in the process.
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A resilient Sonego rallied from a two-set deficit for the first time in his career toppling Rublev 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 to roar into the Roland Garros fourth round for the second time.
Afterward, Sonego said it took his best to spark his inspired comeback.
“I played I think my best tennis, yeah, this year,” Sonego said. “Yeah, there was a lot of things in my mind, but I tried to stay focused every point and enjoy the moment. The crowd helped me a lot during the match. And I think I played my best tennis.”
Monte-Carlo champion Rublev had reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals in two of his four prior appearances, but Rublev’s reluctance to move forward and finish points at net cost him today.
Meanwhile Sonego, a part-time musician whose last release exceeded 1 million plays on Spotify, tuned up his game to improve his five-set record to 4-4.
Sonego joined compatriot Lorenzo Musetti as one of two Italian men into the round of 16.
The 17th-seeded Musetti dismissed 14th-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 and could face world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz for a quarterfinal spot.
Next up for Sonego is a fourth-round clash vs. Karen Khachanov.
The 11th-seeded Khachanov, who has reached the semifinals in his last two Grand Slams, fought off Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis in four sets.
Sonego crafted redemption song today and his new song comes out next month.
“I work for a new song, and I think in July maybe is a new song coming,” Sonego said. “Let’s see if we do better than the first one. I don’t know.”
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
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