Lorenzo Musetti has triumphed over his close pal Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian battle on home soil, lifting the Napoli Cup after a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory.
The second-seeded Berrettini was disadvantaged by a foot injury and, after a somewhat even opening set, fourth seed Musetti shot to victory in the second in Sunday's showdown.
"It was a really tough first set," Musetti said, after winning in front of a raucous crowd in Naples.
"Very long and no breaks ... he was not 100 per cent physically. His capacity to stay until the end, to fight until the end, was a big problem for me to solve.
"Today I think I didn't play the best tennis because we were both really emotional, really nervous and there was a lot of tension.
"But in the important moments, I played better.
"It's really nice to be here with my family, with the crowd, and it's a really big win for me and an important moment for my career."
Musetti broke Berrettini's serve in the opening game of the second set and again in the seventh game to leave him serving out to love to seal the win.
Musetti, who didn't drop a set all week, saved the only break point he faced on Sunday and made just three unforced errors compared to Berrettini's 16.
It was the rising 20-year-old Musetti's second tour-level triumph following his victory in Hamburg in July.
― With AAP
