Lorenzo Musetti defeats Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Lorenzo Musetti advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time, securing a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 9 Taylor Fritz.

The fifth-seeded Musetti has experienced a disrupted journey, as one of his coaches and a physiotherapist had to return to Italy for personal matters. Additionally, he had to leave his family behind following the birth of his second son in November.

“I feel more mature on the court. I’m playing better for that, and for them,” he stated. “I didn’t get much sleep in the offseason. But we found a way to work and to practice really well on and off the court.”

“Now it’s been over 20 days that I’m alone and it’s not easy, but I feel their presence also here.”

His upcoming challenge is against a rested Novak Djokovic. The 24-time major champion was set to be the featured night match at Rod Laver Arena on Monday but received a walkover into the quarterfinals after his opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew from their scheduled fourth-round match due to an abdominal injury.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Source: espn.com