Musetti, who entered late following the withdrawal of seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, started strong but began to fatigue despite support from a mostly partisan crowd at the Inalpi Arena, and Fritz became unstoppable once his serving found its rhythm.
The match’s turning point occurred in the third game when Fritz saved four break points, delivering two aces during that stretch, then broke Musetti to go up 3-1. The Italian, who held serve easily in his first game, faced break points throughout the remainder of the first set.
Musetti, who lost to Djokovic in an almost three-hour final in Athens on Saturday, managed to fend off four break points early in the second set, but two double faults in his following service game handed Fritz the crucial break.
Fritz served nine aces in the second set, including three love service games, but the crowd erupted when Musetti gained a 30-0 lead as Fritz served for the match, only for Fritz to respond with two aces to seal a strong victory.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz beat Alex de Minaur 7-6(5), 6-2 on Sunday in the other Jimmy Connors Group match, with all four players in the group competing in a round-robin format, and the top two advancing to the semi-finals.
The Italian supporters will return later on Monday when Jannik Sinner starts his title defense against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Bjorn Borg Group.
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