Lorenzo Musetti landed himself in a pickle during the Asian swing. During his China Open round-of-32 encounter with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, an audience member reportedly coughed during his serve. Ignored at first, it eventually got to him. Fired up, he turned towards the crowd, mocking them with fake coughs and some explicit-laced comments. Musetti later apologized for his behavior, but history has a cruel way of repeating itself.

On Wednesday, the Italian No. 2 walked into Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena with a potential ATP quarterfinals spot in Shanghai on the line. But 85 minutes into what was a thrilling clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime, it ended with a stinging 6-4, 6-2 defeat for Musetti. And far more than the 12th seed, Musetti’s fight seemed more with the crowd. Tennis commentator Jose Morgado reported that the crowd took turns making a lot of noise during his serve, from popping champagne bottles to sneezing. Understandably or not, he snapped at the umpire to step in. His comments picked up on the mic were, “I know I made a mistake and I said something wrong, but please say something to them.” The clip was all over the internet in minutes.

Sky Sports’ Tennis commentator Colin Fleming wasn’t buying Musetti’s complaint. Watching live, he suggested the noise hardly crossed the line. “It’s not a good look, is it? If he were 6-2, 5-4 up, he would not be mentioning it. I don’t think it’s been noticeably bad. In any crowd of any size, there is going to be some noise,” he said on air.

Following this, frustration boiled over as Musetti’s game collapsed, and he eventually lost yet another game that saw a fiery rant from him. After the Beijing blow-up, Musetti had tried to make amends.

In his apology, he noted that his frustrated words were never aimed at Chinese fans. “My words were directed only at a few individuals in the crowd who were coughing repeatedly and disturbing the play,” Lorenzo Musetti wrote. “They were never, in any way, meant for the Chinese people. It happened in a moment of stress and tension in the second tiebreak, but still, this is no excuse at all. I realize that the way I expressed myself was wrong and inappropriate, and it hurt many Chinese fans’ feelings. I deeply regret it and feel very remorseful.”

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Still, the damage was done.

But it wasn’t the only instance for the Italian. In the Chengdu Open against Alejandro Tabilo, Musetti was interrupted when a crowd member’s phone went off. Although he didn’t complain about that, he was caught off guard by the constant snapping sounds of the cameras. To make matters worse, someone’s phone rang on the next serve. He failed to convert championship points and lost to the Chilean qualifier, 3-6, 6-2, 6-7 [5-7]. Then, Sky Sports reporter and former British number one Lucy Ahl denied his claims, saying it was in his head.

Now, Musetti is out of Shanghai. For an Italian chasing a precious ATP Finals slot, it’s a sticky spot. And after losing to the Canadian, the question now is—how does he really feel?

Lorenzo Musetti expresses mixed feelings over the loss

With both men in the thick of the ATP Finals race, the stakes were sky high. The Canadian brought his A-game, firing on all cylinders to take it in straight sets. Musetti just couldn’t find the right feel, and the match slipped away. “I feel like I wasted a chance here in Shanghai,” Lorenzo admitted after the loss. “He played really well and was impeccable with his serve, as well as making a few unforced errors. I had a few chances, but I didn’t manage the match in the best way.”

Auger-Aliassime, the 12th seed, cruised 6-4, 6-2 in 85 minutes, breaking three times. Next up, he will face Arthur Rinderknech in Friday’s quarter-finals. The clash had a big Live Race to Turin drama. Musetti, sitting eighth, could have built a cushion over tenth-placed Auger-Aliassime. Instead, the Canadian scored his fifth Top 10 win of 2025 and closed the gap to just 530 points, pushing him a step closer to what he’s been chasing for three years.

But for Musetti, the sting runs deeper. “That episode in Beijing turned the Chinese fans against me and I’m sorry,” he said. “This factor affected my head and I was more nervous than usual.” Now, with Shanghai done and dusted, the Paris Masters is his last big chance. The question is: Can he shake off both the loss and the crowd’s disapproval, and roar back stronger?