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The 23 year-old,  who will rise inside the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career next week,  soared past the Australian in the early hours of the Madrid morning to reach the quarter-finals. 

The win sees the Italian move to ninth in the ATP live rankings and will on Tuesday become the sixth Italian player since 1973 to crack the Top 10.

“I’m not surprised [to be in the quarter-finals], I’m surprised with myself,” Musetti said. “After Monte-Carlo, something changed in myself, a positive click forward. 

"That’s something I have been waiting for for a long time. I feel more secure on what I have to do on the court. Of course I can lose, but I have the attitude and mentality of a Top 10 right now, so I’m really happy about that.”

The only other players who could pass Musetti in the ATP live rankings are Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud, who will compete against each other in the Madrid quarter-finals on Friday. With one of them falling out of contention, this ensures Musetti will ascend inside the Top 10 next week.

When Fabio Fognini entered the Top 10 in 2019, only two Italians had previously achieved that feat since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973. Now, four of the six to have done it are active players.

Musetti was relentless on return against De Minaur in Madrid, converting seven of the 10 break points he created to improve to 3-1 against the 25 year-old. With his 63-minute victory, Musetti also improved to a 17-3 record on clay since July, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. 

The Italian notably claimed the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo less than three weeks ago.

Musetti, a two-time ATP Tour champion, is pursuing his maiden Masters 1000 trophy. He will continue his quest in the Spanish capital against lucky loser Gabriel Diallo.