Musetti continues dream run in Rome Lorenzo Musetti defeated Kei Nishikori 6-3 64- at the Italian Open on Thursday. Musetti also defeated Stan Wawrinka this week in Rome. "I always used to be a warrior, a fighter, but I had a lot of ups and downs during the past year," said Musetti. The Italian, ranked 249, needed a wildcard to compete in the Italian Open qualifiers and will next meet Dominik Koepfer, who beat Frenchman Gael Monfils. "This month I tried to keep calm and stay positive on court, and I think it's my best improvement in the past few weeks. Here in Rome, I'm feeling really well," Musetti told reporters. "Even today, I think I won mentally, because I played well on the tough points. I think the key was this, the important points. Kei is a fantastic player. I tried to take my chances tonight. I am really proud of myself, of what I did." Nishikori returned to the circuit this month after sitting out for a year due to injury and felt he needed more matches under his belt to return to his best. "He's a good player, I think, especially on clay," said Nishikori. "I don't know how he's going to play on hard (courts), but for sure he's going to have a lot of power on clay, good backhand too, good serve. He can come in well. He can do pretty much everything. That's, I think, a big weapon for him." Photo by ATP Masters 1000 - Italian Open