Musetti is now endeavouring to break new ground and advance to the second week of an Australian Open for the first time in his career and told Flashscore on Thursday that he's feeling better than ever about his hardcourt game.
The fifth seed had Sonego under pressure throughout the first set and his doubles partner was looking far worse for wear by the end of the first set, straining through his forehands and routinely limbering to grab his towel whilst Musetti looked awash with calm throughout the first two sets of the match, winning more than 70% of first serve points in both.
Despite losing consecutive service games midway through the set, Musetti was able to respond in kind and immediately break back on both occasions to shut the door on any Sonego comeback in the third set, taking out the game 6-3 6-3 6-4.
In addition to being Davis Cup teammates, Musetti and Sonego won a doubles title in Hong Kong in the days leading up to the Australian Open.
"It was not an easy match to prepare for, to play or to deal with. Lorenzo is one of my best friends on tour," Musetti said after the game.
"We recently won a title and shared a lot of nice memories so it's not easy to separate those things on the court.
"But I'm really happy and proud of what I have achieved with a straight sets win. I'm happy to be again in the third round."
Musetti, who had expressed his dissatisfaction with being taken to a fourth set by Belgium's Raphel Collignon prior to Collignon's medical retirement, told Flashscore on Thursday that he had taken a big step forward in the second round when it came to his overall performance.
"It was a completely different match," he said.
"In the first round I struggled with a bit of tension and struggled to get rhythm.
"I didn't have the positive feelings that I had today, especially with the forehand today which was consistent until the end. I was really aggressive today which was probably the biggest difference between the two matches. Even physically, I felt a lot more comfortable.
"I think I dropped a bit of intensity at the beginning of the third set and he took advantage of it.
"But I managed to deal with that, to come back immediately and find the right rhythm. That was probably the key point of turning the match in my side."
When asked by Flashscore if he feels his hardcourt game is finally coming together following last year's run to the quarter-finals of the US Open and the final of an ATP event in Athens late last year, Musetti agreed.
"Definitely, yes. The Australian Open in terms of results has been (my weakest).
"I haven't been to the second week yet, compared to the others which I've been able to progress further forward.
"I now feel though the hard court conditions are really beginning to fit into my game and it's great for my confidence going forward."
Musetti will play Czech Republic's Tomáš Macháč in the third round. Their only meeting took place in February 2024, with Macháč winning 6-3 6-2 on a hardcourt surface in Marseille.