Lorenzo Musetti used his sleek one-handed backhand and sprint-then-slide court coverage to reach his first semifinal at the French Open and second at a Grand Slam tournament by beating Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 in the same stadium where he won a bronze medal at last year’s Olympics.

When the match ended on Tuesday, Musetti, a 23-year-old Italian, rolled up his green shirt’s right sleeve and flexed his biceps. No one would be surprised if things get tougher on Friday: That’s when Musetti will meet defending champion Carlos Alcaraz for a berth in the championship match. Alcaraz wasn’t really tested Tuesday night during a 6-0 6-1 6-4 quarterfinal victory over No. 12 Tommy Paul, who had his right thigh heavily taped and wasn’t able to produce his best tennis.

No. 8 seed Musetti and No. 1 Jannik Sinner — who faces unseeded Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals on Wednesday — gave Italy two male quarterfinalists at Roland-Garros for the first time since 1973. Tiafoe also was part of a rare accomplishment for his country: He and Paul were the first American men to get to the round of eight in Paris since Andre Agassi in 2003 — and the first duo to do it in the same year since Jim Courier and Pete Sampras in 1996. But with Tuesday’s results, US men are 1-60 since 1999 at the French Open against opponents ranked in the top 10.

In women’s action, three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka both won in straight sets to set up a semifinal showdown on Thursday. No. 15 Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland, hadn’t dropped a set on the way to the quarterfinals. But he wasn’t up to the task against Musetti, a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2024. Tiafoe missed all eight first serves in his initial service game and sent a backhand wide to give Musetti a 2-0 lead. Tiafoe looked at his coach, David Witt, and complained about the wind.

At the end of the match, Musetti had more winners, 44-33, and far fewer unforced errors, 51-32. Still, when two-time US Open semifinalist Tiafoe smacked a forehand to even the match at a set apiece, he let out a roar and shouted: “Let’s go! Let’s go!” During that set, Musetti was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct for kicking a tennis ball that inadvertently hit a linesperson.

The point of the match came in the third set’s sixth game. Musetti stretched wide of the doubles alley near the net to reach a shot at a seemingly impossible angle. Tiafoe then did the same in response, sending his near the baseline. Musetti ran and, with his back to the net, twisted his body to somehow flick a low ball back with a half-swing. It worked, though, and Tiafoe — perhaps startled to see the point wasn’t over — netted an awkward, shoulder-high volley.

That set swung Musetti’s way when he broke in its last game. On a 12-stroke exchange, Tiafoe tried an ill-advised and ill-struck drop shot that the speedy Musetti got to, conjuring up a down-the-line backhand winner. Now it was his turn to punch the air and yell. Told by the postmatch interviewer that he has an elegant game, Musetti joked: “I mean, we are Italian. We are elegant.” He is 13-4 in his French Open career, and three of those losses came against an opponent ranked No. 1 — Novak Djokovic twice, Alcaraz once.