The German Alexander Zverev, 5th in the world, suffered, but ended up stopping the surprising Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome on Friday.
Zverev won in three sets 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 after two hours and sixteen minutes of play.
The German will play his third final in Rome on Sunday after 2017 and 2018, against another surprise guest, the American Tommy Paul (16th) or the Chilean, Nicolas Jarry (24th).
He first had to let the storm pass against Tabilo, who defeated world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the 3rd round, without any complexes in the first round.
The Chilean, 32nd in the world, won the first set in 30 minutes with, in the last game, three winning drop shots.
Zverev, the only survivor of the eight players in the world top 10 competing at the Foro Italico, found his first service ball during the second set.
Weighed down by two double-faults, he was almost broken a third time at 3-3, before getting out of trouble and dominating the deciding game.
The German Alexander Zverev faces the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome on May 17, 2024 / Tiziana FABI / AFP
In the third round, Zverev, winner at the Foro Italico in 2017, irremediably gained the upper hand over his opponent, visibly exhausted physically and morally, who was playing his first semi-final in a Masters 1000.
“There was nothing to do”
“He played very well, me much less, I didn’t serve well. But the important thing is to be in the final”, analyzed Zverev who will play his eleventh final in a Masters 1000, like his compatriot Boris before him Becker.
“He was very aggressive in the first set, I normally have that role, but there was nothing I could do about the level he was playing at that time. I just had to wait until it passes and take advantage of the drop in his energy,” continued the 27-year-old German.
Zverev will aim for the 22nd title of his career on Sunday, the first since September 2023 and the ATP 250 tournament in Chengdu (China), his last coronation in Masters 1000 in 2021 (Cincinnati).
Since the start of the year, Zverev has been chasing his first final: he reached the last four of the Australian Open and the Masters 1000 in Miami. His season on clay has been disappointing so far with eliminations in the round of 16 in Monte-Carlo and Madrid.
Less than ten days before Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9), Zverev joins the field of title contenders which has not been as strong for a long time, due to Djokovic’s poor form, in the time trial of Rafael Nadal, lacking matches and results, or even uncertainties weighing on the participations of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, injured.
