Dane Sweeny Upsets No 13 Lorenzo Musetti to Reach US Open Third Round

NEW YORK: Dane Sweeny lost the first set to Lorenzo Musetti and then played the next three like the higher-ranked player.

The Australian wildcard produced one of the biggest early upsets of the 2026 US Open on Thursday, defeating the No. 13 seed 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Sweeny entered Flushing Meadows ranked No. 123 in the world and making his US Open main-draw debut.

Musetti arrived as one of the established names in the men’s draw, a former world No. 5 with far greater experience at the latter stages of major tournaments.

For one set, the difference in status appeared visible.

Then the match changed completely.

Sweeny began attacking Musetti’s service games with far greater conviction, extended rallies from positions that appeared lost and repeatedly forced the Italian to play another ball.

By the end, the scoreline no longer looked like an upset produced by one inspired tiebreak or a late collapse from the favorite.

Sweeny had won three consecutive sets by margins of 6-1, 6-2 and 6-2.

That is domination.

The Sports Encounter’s US Open 2026 preview entered the tournament expecting an unusually open men’s draw after injuries and disrupted preparation removed some of the certainty around the leading contenders.

Sweeny’s breakthrough is another reminder of how quickly that openness can become opportunity.

Dane Sweeny vs Lorenzo Musetti: Match at a Glance

Detail	Information
Winner	Dane Sweeny
Loser	Lorenzo Musetti
Score	3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
Round	US Open second round
Sweeny ranking	World No. 123
Musetti seed	No. 13
Sweeny status	Wild card
Achievement	First career Grand Slam third round
Tournament appearance	US Open main-draw debut

How Did Dane Sweeny Turn the Match Around After Losing the First Set?

He stopped allowing Musetti to dictate how the points were going to be played.

The opening set followed a recognizable Musetti pattern.

The Italian used his variety, changes of spin and ability to create angles with the one-handed backhand to move Sweeny away from comfortable hitting positions.

Sweeny competed well enough to stay involved but did not create enough consistent pressure on return.

Musetti took the set 6-3.

From the beginning of the second set, the dynamic changed.

Sweeny began standing his ground more effectively on return and attacking second serves earlier in the rally.

Instead of accepting Musetti’s variations and reacting to them, he forced the Italian into additional defensive shots.

The result was immediate.

Sweeny won the second set 6-1.

That score was the first real warning that this was no longer a conventional favorite-versus-underdog match.

The Return Battle Became the Center of the Upset

Sweeny’s ability to repeatedly break Musetti became the defining statistical theme.

Match data available immediately after the result showed Sweeny winning around half of Musetti’s service games, compared with Musetti converting only around one-fifth of his return opportunities.

That difference explains why the scoreline became increasingly one-sided.

A lower-ranked player beating a seed usually requires exceptional serving.

Sweeny produced something more interesting.

He damaged Musetti on return.

That is much harder for a favorite to solve because there is nowhere obvious to hide.

If the first serve misses, the second serve becomes vulnerable.

If rallies extend, the returning player remains involved.

If service games repeatedly become physical, pressure accumulates even when the server survives.

Sweeny made Musetti work for almost everything after the first set.

Why Did the Third Set Matter More Than the Second?

Winning the second set 6-1 proved Sweeny could disrupt Musetti.

The third proved the disruption was sustainable.

Upsets often contain one spectacular set.

The favorite then resets.

Serving improves.

Unforced errors decline.

The ranking gap begins to reappear.

That never happened here.

Sweeny continued attacking Musetti’s service games and protecting his own baseline position.

He moved 3-0 ahead in the third before Musetti required a medical timeout.

The Italian had already endured physical problems during the season and had missed Wimbledon because of a thigh injury.

He appeared physically compromised as the match progressed.

That context matters.

It should not erase what Sweeny did.

The Australian still had to manage the lead, stay disciplined and avoid allowing sympathy, uncertainty or the interruption to disturb his rhythm.

He finished the third set 6-2.

What Happened With Lorenzo Musetti Physically?

Musetti required an off-court medical timeout during the third set after appearing increasingly uncomfortable physically.

The exact nature of the problem was not immediately clear from official tournament information available after the match.

Some courtside reports described him as looking unwell or physically limited.

What can be stated safely is that the No. 13 seed needed medical attention while trailing in the third set and never recovered his earlier movement or control afterward.

That is important given his 2026 injury history.

Musetti had already missed Wimbledon after a thigh problem disrupted his season.

His return to North American hard courts had shown encouraging signs.

The Sports Encounter covered his controlled win over Michael Zheng in our Cincinnati Open tournament wrap, when Musetti looked capable of building momentum toward New York.

He later reached the Cincinnati quarterfinals before losing to Frances Tiafoe, a run examined in our Cincinnati final and US Open race analysis.

The US Open offered a chance to extend that recovery.

Sweeny ended it.

Why Sweeny’s Acrobatic Tennis Became More Than Entertainment

One of the most memorable points of the match involved Sweeny throwing himself toward a forehand volley and producing the type of diving winner associated with Boris Becker’s most athletic years.

That style is not new.

The official US Open profile of Sweeny after Round 1 noted that the 5-foot-7 Australian regularly dives for balls and has developed a permanent fluid buildup around his forearm from repeatedly landing on the same area.

Sweeny described it simply.

“I’ll throw my body around to do that.”

The line explains his tennis better than any marketing description could.

Against Musetti, those retrieval skills became strategically important.

Points the Italian expected to finish kept returning.

That can wear down an opponent psychologically.

A clean winner becomes another defensive shot.

A successful drop shot becomes a scramble.

A point that appears complete continues for another three or four strokes.

For a player already experiencing physical discomfort, that additional work becomes even more expensive.

The Quiet Tea Ceremony Behind One of the US Open’s Loudest Upsets

Sweeny’s preparation for his breakthrough New York run is unusually understated.

He has credited a daily tea ceremony with helping him remain calm during the tournament.

His partner introduced the routine.

They wake in the morning, prepare tea slowly in their hotel room and create a period of deliberate quiet before entering the noise of New York and Grand Slam tennis.

The ritual became part of the story after his first-round victory over Corentin Moutet.

According to the US Open’s official account, Sweeny believed the routine helped him stay detached from the nerves and doubts that normally accompany a major tournament.

That calm was required against Moutet.

It may have been even more valuable against Musetti.

Sweeny’s First-Round Win Already Contained Warning Signs for Musetti

Sweeny did not arrive in Round 2 accidentally.

He defeated Corentin Moutet 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-0 when the Frenchman retired.

The match was Sweeny’s first in a US Open main draw.

He had trailed 5-2 in the opening set before recovering.

That comeback showed several qualities that later appeared against Musetti.

Patience.

Retrieval.

Emotional control.

Willingness to stay inside long points.

And an ability to continue playing aggressively after an uncomfortable start.

The Sports Encounter has repeatedly tracked how major tournaments can reward players who arrive without the burden carried by the highest seeds.

Our National Bank Open analysis of favorites falling and new players rising showed the same pattern during the Canadian swing.

Sweeny has now carried it onto the biggest stage.

Why Was Musetti Such a Significant Opponent for Sweeny?

Because this was not merely a victory over a seeded player.

Musetti represents a completely different competitive level from most of Sweeny’s career opposition.

The Italian has been ranked as high as world No. 5.

He has played deep into Grand Slam tournaments.

His one-handed backhand, movement and tactical variety make him one of the more difficult players on tour to prepare for.

Before Thursday, Sweeny had spent much of his professional life grinding through Challengers, ITF events and qualifying draws.

The ATP’s official Sweeny biography shows a player who built his career gradually rather than arriving through immediate junior superstardom.

He broke into the Top 300 in 2022 and the Top 200 late in 2025.

His first Grand Slam main-draw appearance came at the 2024 Australian Open.

He then spent years trying to convert Challenger-level progress into sustained ATP opportunities.

Beating Musetti changes the scale of his resume immediately.

This Was Not Sweeny’s Grand Slam Debut

That distinction is worth making because the achievement is impressive enough without exaggeration.

Sweeny made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2024 Australian Open after qualifying.

He lost a five-set first-round match to Francisco Cerúndolo.

He also reached the Wimbledon main draw in 2026 after qualifying, where Grigor Dimitrov defeated him in the first round.

New York is his US Open debut.

It is also the first time he has won two matches in the same Grand Slam main draw.

Now he is in Round 3.

Why the Wild Card Matters

Sweeny did not qualify through the US Open qualifying tournament.

He received a main-draw wild card through the reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia.

The US Open’s official wildcard announcement confirms that Sweeny received the place after Alexei Popyrin moved directly into the main draw following another withdrawal.

Reciprocal wild cards are occasionally criticized because they place lower-ranked players directly into major draws.

Sweeny’s run is precisely why they exist.

The opportunity allowed an Australian outside the Top 100 to test himself against the main draw.

He has now beaten Moutet and Musetti.

The invitation has already justified itself competitively.

What Does This Upset Say About the Men’s US Open Draw?

It is becoming more open by the session.

Musetti is not the only prominent seed to disappear early.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 3 seed, was also eliminated Thursday by Karen Khachanov.

Other established names had already departed.

The Sports Encounter’s US Open men’s title-race analysis began with the premise that injuries and disrupted preparation had created unusual uncertainty before the first round.

Every high seed that exits enlarges the opportunity beneath them.

For Sweeny, that matters directly.

A player who begins a tournament expecting to survive one round can suddenly find himself looking at a section of the draw without the name originally expected to control it.

The Musetti Exit Continues a Strange North American Hard-Court Season

Musetti’s summer had looked as though it was stabilizing.

He struggled earlier in Montreal, where the men’s draw lost several major contenders in quick succession.

The Sports Encounter’s National Bank Open first-week review documented that chaos, with Musetti among a group of established men unable to survive the tournament’s early stages.

Cincinnati was better.

He defeated Michael Zheng convincingly, advanced through the middle rounds and reached the quarterfinals.

That run suggested his hard-court game was becoming more stable before New York.

The US Open has reversed that progress abruptly.

Why Musetti’s Playing Style Can Become Vulnerable Against Relentless Defenders

Musetti’s variety is usually an advantage.

He changes height.

He changes spin.

He uses the slice.

He moves opponents forward with drop shots.

He can create angles few players attempt.

The weakness appears when an opponent repeatedly refuses to let those variations finish points.

Sweeny’s speed and willingness to scramble turned several of Musetti’s creative patterns into extended exchanges.

That forced the Italian to generate another attacking shot.

When physical discomfort appeared, the cost increased.

Sweeny did not need to out-style Musetti.

He needed to make style insufficient.

How Important Was Sweeny’s Mental Control?

Probably as important as his shot-making.

He lost the first set against a player ranked more than 100 positions above him.

The predictable response would have been to chase the match too aggressively.

Sweeny did not.

He maintained his patterns and increased pressure incrementally.

The second set went 6-1.

The third went 6-2.

The fourth went 6-2.

The match therefore became easier for Sweeny as the stakes became greater.

That is unusual for a player experiencing the deepest Grand Slam run of his career.

The Scoreline Shows How Completely the Momentum Shifted

Set	Sweeny	Musetti	Match Story
First	3	6	Musetti controls the early pattern
Second	6	1	Sweeny attacks the return and resets the match
Third	6	2	Sweeny sustains pressure as Musetti struggles physically
Fourth	6	2	Australian closes without allowing a comeback

Sweeny won 18 of the final 23 games after losing the first set.

That is the number that best captures how dramatic the reversal became.

Once the second set started, Musetti won only five games across three sets.

Why Closing the Match Matters Almost as Much as Creating the Upset

Lower-ranked players frequently reach the point where an upset becomes possible.

Finishing is harder.

The favorite begins swinging with less pressure.

The crowd senses the moment.

The underdog starts thinking about rankings, money, the next round and the significance of the result.

Sweeny avoided that trap.

There was no fourth-set collapse.

There was no five-set survival exercise.

He won the fourth set by the same 6-2 margin as the third.

That made the result feel less like a lucky opening and more like a performance worthy of the next round.

What Does This Mean Financially for Dane Sweeny?

Grand Slam breakthroughs change careers partly because of prize money.

A player ranked outside the Top 100 spends much of the year paying for flights, hotels, coaching, physiotherapy and tournament travel while earning far less than the sport’s leading names.

Reaching the US Open third round guarantees a substantial payday compared with a normal Challenger week.

That can fund an entire block of future competition.

It can allow a player to travel with more support.

It can reduce the pressure to chase lower-level events every week.

And it can provide the financial stability required to plan rather than survive.

Sweeny’s breakthrough therefore matters well beyond one ranking result.

How Does Sweeny’s Rise Fit Australia’s Current Men’s Tennis Depth?

Australia already has Alex de Minaur established near the top of the men’s game.

Alexei Popyrin has become a dangerous hard-court player.

Tristan Schoolkate continues progressing.

Several other Australians are competing regularly across ATP and Challenger events.

Sweeny adds a different profile.

He is smaller than many modern men’s players and does not possess an overpowering serve.

His pathway depends more heavily on movement, return quality, redirection and competitiveness.

That makes his breakthrough valuable because it demonstrates there is more than one route through modern power tennis.

North American Hard Courts Have Rewarded Breakthrough Players All Summer

Sweeny’s run fits a broader trend.

The Canadian swing produced major performances from players outside the expected championship group.

The Sports Encounter’s National Bank Open preview asked which players would use Montreal and Toronto to establish themselves before the US Open.

That question kept producing unexpected answers.

Ben Shelton eventually defended his Montreal title, becoming one of the central men’s stories of the hard-court swing.

Our analysis of Shelton’s title defense showed how rapidly momentum can grow when a player starts winning repeatedly against strong opposition.

Sweeny is nowhere near that level of achievement yet.

He has just discovered the same basic opportunity.

Win again and perception changes quickly.

Could This Be More Than One Great Week?

That is now the central question.

One upset does not establish a Top 50 player.

Two wins at one major do not guarantee sustained tour success.

Sweeny’s career has already included long stretches on the Challenger and ITF circuits.

What New York provides is evidence.

He has shown that his game can disturb a player of Musetti’s quality over five-set conditions.

He has shown he can recover after losing the first set.

He has shown he can handle the emotional pressure of approaching a career-best result.

Those are meaningful data points.

Why the Upset Matters for the US Open as a Tournament

Grand Slams need stories that do not begin with the top eight seeds.

The scale of a major becomes most visible when a player who normally competes far from the biggest courts suddenly finds himself central to the tournament conversation.

Sweeny entered through a reciprocal wild card.

He had never played a US Open main-draw match.

Two victories later, he has removed one of the top 16 seeds.

That is the ecosystem majors are supposed to create.

The favorites provide the global audience.

The underdogs provide the possibility that the bracket will not behave as expected.

Why This Is One of the Biggest Early Upsets of the 2026 US Open

The ranking gap is substantial.

Sweeny entered at No. 123.

Musetti was the No. 13 seed and ranked around the Top 15.

Pre-match expectations heavily favored the Italian.

More importantly, the upset did not come through a narrow five-set escape.

Sweeny won the final three sets 18 games to five.

That margin changes how the result should be understood.

He did not merely survive Musetti.

He took the match away from him.

What Should We Make of the Boris Becker Comparisons?

They should remain visual rather than historical.

Sweeny’s diving forehand volley naturally reminded observers of Becker’s famous habit of throwing himself toward low volleys on grass and hard courts.

That does not make Sweeny the next Becker.

It does reveal something about his personality as a player.

He values one more ball enough to risk landing on the court.

He is prepared to improvise outside conventional technique.

He does not appear concerned with making a point look clean.

The result can be chaotic.

Against Musetti, it was effective.

What Happens Next for Sweeny?

The third round will bring an entirely new pressure.

The Australian is no longer anonymous.

Opponents now have two US Open matches to study.

Scouting reports will emphasize his court coverage, return aggression and willingness to extend rallies from defensive positions.

That is the next stage of a breakthrough.

Surprising one established player is difficult.

Winning once opponents begin preparing specifically for the qualities that created the surprise is harder.

What Does Musetti Need to Take From This Defeat?

First, clarity about his physical condition.

His 2026 season has already been interrupted by injury.

Another physical issue at a Grand Slam requires proper assessment before attention shifts toward results.

Second, Musetti will need to examine why the return games deteriorated so badly after the opening set.

Even if physical limitations contributed, losing three sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 reflects more than one isolated bad patch.

Third, the defeat reinforces how difficult it can be for creative, variation-heavy players when movement is compromised.

Musetti’s game depends on arriving early enough to create options.

Once those options disappear, the entire structure becomes less threatening.

Final Verdict: Dane Sweeny Did More Than Produce an Upset

The simplest version of the story is irresistible.

World No. 123 beats No. 13 seed.

Wild card reaches the third round.

Australian produces one of the surprises of the tournament.

The match deserves a deeper reading.

Dane Sweeny lost the first set and then improved.

That is what separates this performance from many major upsets.

He did not catch Musetti cold for 30 minutes.

He did not steal two tiebreaks.

He did not wait for the favorite to collapse in a fifth set.

He identified where the match could be changed and began winning return games at a rate Musetti could not absorb.

He retrieved balls that should have ended points.

He remained aggressive when the opportunity grew larger.

He handled the medical interruption without losing concentration.

And when the fourth set arrived, he closed the match 6-2 rather than inviting Musetti back into it.

That is the part worth remembering.

Sweeny’s career has been built away from the cameras through ITF tournaments, Challenger draws and qualifying rounds.

He received a US Open wild card through Tennis Australia’s reciprocal agreement.

He used it to beat Moutet.

Then he beat Musetti.

The first career Grand Slam third round is now his.

Whether this becomes the beginning of a permanent rise will be decided over months rather than one New York afternoon.

But the biggest breakthrough of Sweeny’s career no longer needs projection.

It has already happened.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Dane Sweeny vs Lorenzo Musetti score?

Dane Sweeny defeated Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the 2026 US Open.

What is Dane Sweeny’s ranking?

Sweeny entered the match ranked world No. 123.

What seed was Lorenzo Musetti at the US Open?

Musetti was the No. 13 seed.

Is this Dane Sweeny’s first Grand Slam third round?

Yes. The victory over Musetti sent Sweeny into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Is the 2026 US Open Sweeny’s Grand Slam debut?

No. Sweeny previously played in the Australian Open and Wimbledon main draws. The 2026 tournament is his US Open main-draw debut.

How did Dane Sweeny qualify for the US Open?

Sweeny received a main-draw wild card through the reciprocal agreement between the USTA and Tennis Australia.

Who did Dane Sweeny beat in the first round?

He defeated Corentin Moutet 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-0 when Moutet retired.

Did Lorenzo Musetti need a medical timeout?

Yes. Musetti required medical treatment during the third set while trailing. The precise nature of the problem was not immediately confirmed by official tournament sources.

Why was Sweeny’s diving shot compared with Boris Becker?

Sweeny produced an acrobatic diving forehand volley during the match, recalling the type of full-extension court dives made famous by Boris Becker.

Why is Sweeny’s win considered such a major upset?

The Australian was ranked No. 123 and facing the No. 13 seed. He also won the final three sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, making the result a decisive reversal rather than a narrow upset.