Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev wrote another gripping chapter in their 2022 clay-court rivalry at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Saturday afternoon, with fourth-seeded Tsitsipas running out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner in the semi-finals in Rome.

In the third clay-court ATP Masters 1000 semi-final between the pair this season, Tsitsipas recovered from the disappointment of losing a hard-fought opening set to complete a stirring comeback win and reach the final in the Italian capital for the first time.

“He wasn’t giving me much, he made me work hard for every single point,” said Tsitsipas after the match. “I’m extremely proud of the way things turned around, and I was able to read the gameplay a little bit better and understand what was working at that time.”

The victory was Tsitsipas’ 31st of 2022, extending his lead over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz (28) on the leaderboard for most match wins for the season. His run to the semi-finals in Rome has moved the Greek up one place to No. 4 in the Pepperstone Live ATP Rankings, and Tsitsipas’ outstanding form on the clay has put him among the favourites for the French Open at Roland Garros in a week’s time.

The Greek was particularly strong on serve throughout against Zverev and stayed consistent from the baseline to halt his opponent’s early momentum in an engrossing two-hour, 29-minute win. Tsitsipas was delighted to have made it a maiden championship match in Rome, having suffered semi-final disappointment against Rafael Nadal in 2019.

“It’s one of those tournaments that I think has the most history in sport,” said Tsitsipas. “As you can see looking around the sides, one of the most beautiful stadiums. There’s a lot of history playing on these courts and you feel very proud that you made your way here and are able to participate in such a historically rich event.”

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Tsitsipas was a straight-sets winner over Zverev en route to the title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, but the German exacted revenge for that semi-final defeat with a three-set win in the final four at the Mutua Madrid Open a week ago. Tsitsipas and Zverev are the only players to reach the semi-finals at all three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on clay this season, meaning anticipation was high for a blockbuster clash at the Foro Italico.

A high-quality opening saw no break points in the opening six games, with both players demonstrating the impressive serving that has powered their strong form on the clay this year. It was Zverev who made the first move, converting the only break point of the set for 4-3, and the German found enough first serves to resist a Tsitsipas fightback as he clinched an entertaining first set.

As in Madrid last week, Tsitsipas was able to recover from dropping the opening set to generate a momentum swing in the second. The Greek was aided by a lapse in Zverev’s level, however, with the second seed double faulting to hand Tsitsipas an early break for 2-0. Although Zverev deployed his first serve to good effect to fend off Tsitsipas’ efforts to break again, the Greek remained comfortable behind his own delivery to force a decider.

Although he competed well throughout, Zverev was never quite able to regain the consistency in his groundstrokes from the first set. Tsitsipas’ ballstriking remained solid rather than spectacular, but that proved enough to break the German twice more as the Greek ran out a comfortable winner in the deciding set.

The win extends Tsitsipas’ ATP Head2Head series lead over Zverev to 8-4. The Greek will play for a third Masters 1000 title in Sunday’s championship match, where his opponent will be World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or fifth seed Casper Ruud.

Novak Djokovic returned to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings Friday with a 7-5, 7-6(1) win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, guaranteeing a 370th week at the top of men’s tennis on Monday. After failing to serve out both sets at 5-3, the Serbian regrouped to close out each one in supreme style.

“I thought it was high-level tennis,” Djokovic said post-match. “He did ask me to raise the level and I had to play consistently well. I thought I could have finished the job earlier… but credit to him for fighting back. Amazing atmosphere as well tonight.”

After getting past the eighth seed in the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting, Djokovic still has significant milestones on his mind over finals’ weekend at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

On Saturday, the Serbian seeks his 1,000th tour-level win when he meets Casper Ruud in the semi-finals. Should he advance to the final, the Belgrade native will chase a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 title Sunday, one week shy of his 35th birthday.

Dropping 600 points at the beginning of this week for his runner-up finish in the Italian capital last year, Djokovic slipped to No. 2 behind Daniil Medvedev in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. (Reigning US Open champion Medvedev dropped just 10 points from an opening-round loss in Rome in 2021.) By adding 360 points for reaching the semi-finals, Djokovic has now reclaimed top spot.

Djokovic’s quarter-final win was far from routine despite a mid-set break in each stanza. Both he and Auger-Aliassime showcased their shotmaking and movement in equal measures throughout the match, dragging each other wide with extreme angles and up to net with well-timed drop shots.

The highlight-filled match was encapsulated by two points in the Canadian’s final service game. After Auger-Aliassime tracked down a drop volley for an impossible sliding winner, Djokovic raised the roof with his own forehand flick from the frontcourt.

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The World No. 1 also produced earlier hot shots on two crucial points on Centre Court. He finessed a cross-court forehand winner on set point in the opener, unleashing a roar after breaking the Canadian’s stubborn resistance. On his fourth break point of a long return game at 3-2 in the second, Djokovic flighted a teasing topspin lob just out of the reach of a leaping Auger-Aliassime to secure his third break of the match.

The 21-year-old showed great spirit to fight back in both sets. He broke back immediately in the first set to deny Djokovic’s attempt to serve it out, then created two break points in response to falling behind 2-4 in the second. After saving a match point on serve, Auger-Aliassime broke in his next return game to extend the contest, but could not match the World No. 1’s untouchable level in a one-sided tie-break.

“I know Felix well. He’s been around the top of the men’s game for quite a few years,” Djokovic said of his worthy opponent. “He’s got a lethal serve, honestly… He’s hitting his spots in the box incredibly well with the serve, and it was not easy for me at all to return. He’s also returning well, he’s moving well. He’s a very complete player.

Djokovic dominated the Balance of Power and Conversion & Steal metrics in the match. He hit 27 per cent of his shots from attacking positions and converted 78 percent of the points in which he gained an attacking advantage, while also stealing 34 per cent of points from defence.

Djokovic next faces Ruud in a rematch of the 2020 Rome semi-finals. He also faced the Norwegian in the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, winning both matches in straight sets.

“Great quality opponent again,” Djokovic previewed. “Clay-court specialist, but he has improved a lot in other surfaces, played the final of Miami this year. Just a very hard worker, nice guy.

“We practise a lot and get along well off the court. Tomorrow obviously on the court we want to win against each other, no doubt… Hopefully I can play as well as I did tonight.”

Four of the Top 5 men’s singles seeds have advanced to the semi-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, making for a star-studded semi-final Saturday at the Foro Italico. Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet at that stage for the third time at an ATP Masters 1000 in the past four weeks, while World No. 1 Novak Djokovic goes for his 1,000th tour-level win as he takes on Casper Ruud in a rematch of the 2020 Rome semis.

In doubles action, John Isner continues his bid for a third Masters 1000 title with as many partners as he looks to book his final place alongside first-time partner Diego Schwartzman.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [4] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

Zverev and Tsitsipas split their recent semi-final meetings on the European clay, with the German winning a three-setter in Madrid after Tsitsipas dominated in Monte Carlo. Their ATP Head2Head stands at 7-4 in favour of Tsitsipas, including a 3-1 edge for the Greek on clay.

Two of the game’s in-form players enter Saturday’s showdown with a combined 54 match wins on the 2022 season, with Tsitsipas’ 30 pacing the ATP Tour ahead of Carlos Alcaraz’s 28. The 23-year-old has made deep runs at each of the four clay-court events he’s played this year. After defeating Zverev en route to a second straight Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title, he reached the Barcelona quarter-finals before his progress to the semis at the ATP Masters 1000s in Madrid and Rome.

Tsitsipas this week overtook Rafael Nadal at No. 4 in the  Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and his deep run in Rome ensures that the Greek will rise to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday. Tsitsipas reached a career-high of World No. 3 in August 2021.

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Zverev has also been to at least the semis at all three of this season’s clay-court Masters 1000s, including his final run last week in Madrid. The German is a five-time champion at that prestigious level, winning three of those titles on clay. He earned the first of those five titles in Rome in 2017, when he beat Djokovic in the final at the age of 20.

The second seed has not dropped a set on his way to the semis, getting past Sebastian Baez, Alex de Minaur and Cristian Garin in straights. Tsitsipas opened with a pair of three-set wins in Rome, saving two match points in his opening match to beat Grigor Dimitrov in a third-set tie-break. He came back from a set down against Karen Khachanov in the last 16 before overcoming home favourite Jannik Sinner and the Italian crowd, 7-6(5), 6-2, in the semis.

Zverev can move to within 140 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points of World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev by winning his second Rome title.

Both Zverev and Tsitsipas have reached the semi-finals with a relentless attacking gameplan. The German leads the remaining field in the Balance of Power metric, which tells us that he has played 28 per cent of his shots in an attacking position this week in Rome. Tsitsipas is second of the four semi-finalists by that measure at 26 per cent. Looking at the Conversion & Steal rates, the Greek’s 71 per cent conversion rate from attack exceeds Zverev’s 66 per cent mark. Conversely, Zverev has stolen 35 per cent of points from defense, six percentage points higher than his opponent and second only to Djokovic.

Looking ahead to their Saturday showdown, Tsitsipas spoke highly of his rival, who is 16 months his elder.

“We have similar game styles but he is one of the most difficult players to play against on the Tour,” Tsitsipas previewed. “I have a lot of respect for him. He has achieved a lot so far and I try and look up to him with the things he has achieved.”

[1] Novak Djokovic (SER) vs. [5] Casper Ruud (NOR)

Djokovic moved up to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, already defending 360 of the 600 points he earned as a 2021 Rome finalist. After confirming his stay as World No. 1, he can now turn his attention to earning his 1,000th career win. 

The Serbian has not dropped a set in two previous ATP Head2Head meetings with Ruud, scoring wins in the 2020 Rome semi-finals and at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. After an early exit in Monte Carlo, he worked his way into form by reaching the final in his home city of Belgrade and the semis last week in Madrid.

After dropping just seven games against Aslan Karatsev and Stan Wawrinka in Rome, he passed a stern test against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals. In a highlight-filled match of supreme quality from both sides, the Serbian was at his best late in both sets of a 7-5, 7-6(1) victory.

Ruud entered the European clay swing on a high after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami — a hard-court run that surprised even him. But he struggled on his favoured clay ahead of Rome, coming into the Italian capital with just four wins in his previous four events. He’s bounced back brilliantly from an opening-match exit in Madrid by advancing to his fifth Masters 1000 semi-final this week.

“Great quality opponent again,” Djokovic said of the Norwegian. “Clay-court specialist, but he has improved a lot in other surfaces… Just a very hard worker, nice guy.

“We practise a lot and get along well off the court. Tomorrow obviously on the court we want to win against each other, no doubt… Hopefully I can play as well as I did tonight.”

Doubles SFs

John Isner and Diego Schwartzman will face fellow unseeded duo Andrey Golubev and Maximo Gonzalez on Pietrangeli as they look to extend their undefeated record as a team. The American-Argentine pairing survived a pair of Match Tie-breaks in the opening two rounds before scoring a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win over Harri Heliovaara and Lloyd Glasspool in the quarter-finals.

Currently at a career-high of No. 22 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings, Isner is up to No. 22 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Live Rankings and could rise as high as No. 18 with the title.

Following Djokovic vs. Ruud on Centre Court, third seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic will close out the evening against Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini. The home favourites won a pair of Match Tie-breaks either side of a walkover to book their semi-final place, battling back from a set and a break down on Friday to edge two-time Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies of Germany, 6-7(3), 6-4, 11-9.

Defending champions Mektic and Pavic have not dropped a set this week and will be confident of claiming their first ATP Tour title of the season as the lone remaining seeds in Rome.

Defending Rome champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic continued to roll though the draw at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a third consecutive straight-sets win on Friday. The third-seeded Croatians advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over newly crowned Madrid champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski.

Mektic and Pavic converted on both of their break points and saved all five against them to advance to their third ATP Tour semi-final of the season. While serving out the match, the Croatians escaped 30/40 to complete an efficient performance on Court 1 at the Foro Italico. They served five aces and won 81 per cent (29/36) of their first-serve points in the contest.

Why hit the smash when you can hit the behind the back lob winner anyway 🤷‍♂️

Insane skills from @NMektic!@InteBNLdItalia #ibi22 pic.twitter.com/4gKQImKFli

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 13, 2022

Koolhof and Skupski lead the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings for 2022 with four titles on the season, while Mektic and Pavic are 14th in the doubles race as they seek their first title since winning Tokyo Olympic gold.

The Croatians won both of their previous tour-level semi-finals this season, in Dubai and Belgrade, but fell agonisingly short of both titles in a pair of Match Tie-breaks. In the Rome semis, they will face Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, who beat eighth seeds Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz, 6-7(3), 6-4, 11-9, on Friday.

In the lone doubles contest of the day to be extended to a Match Tie-break, the home favourites battled back from a set and a break down to delight the Italian crowd on Court 1. They won four straight games from 2-4 in the second and twice clawed back a mini-break in the Match Tie-break to advance to their fourth semi-final as a team this year.

The 2015 Australian Open champions are seeking their fifth tour-level title together and second of the season (Rio de Janeiro).

Into the semis a casa 🇮🇹

Sound ON as @BolelliSimone & @fabiofogna complete a 6-7(3) 6-4 11-9 win over Krawietz/Mies in Rome – to the tune of Seven Nation Army!#IBI22 pic.twitter.com/t3B0Vx4DCZ

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 13, 2022

The opposite semi-final will feature a pair of unseeded teams as John Isner and Diego Schwartzman take on Andrey Golubev and Maximo Gonzalez. The first-time pairing of Isner and Schwartzman ended the feel-good run of alternates Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara with a 6-3, 6-2 quarter-final victory. The Kazakh-Argentine duo of Golunev and Gonzalez defeated Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar, 6-2, 7-6(10), to reach the last four.

Both men’s doubles semi-finals are scheduled for the evening in Rome. Mektic/Pavic and Bolelli/Fognini will close play on Centre Court, while Isner/Schwartzman and Golubev/Gonzalez will play not before 5 p.m. local time on Pietrangeli.

Casper Ruud advanced to his first European clay-court semi-final of the season Friday, downing Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-6(7), 7-5 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The Norwegian arrived in Rome off the back of disappointing early exits at ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo and Madrid. However, the fifth seed has regained his best level in the Italian capital, with his high-intensity and all-action win against Shapovalov setting up a last-four meeting with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

In a tight match on centre court, Ruud saved one set point in the first-set tie-break at 5/6 and then another on serve at 4-5 in the second set before he eventually moved past World No. 16 Shapovalov in two hours and 19 minutes.

”I think one of the most important things on clay is to put a lot of first serves in. Today was working well,” Ruud said. “I was serving well all match. At the beginning you are sometimes a bit nervous and excited to start, but after that I was able to calm down and find my tempo.”

It is the second time the 23-year-old has advanced to the semi-finals in Rome after he enjoyed a run to the same stage in his previous appearance in 2020.

Ruud, who reached the last eight on clay in Barcelona and Munich in April, now leads the 13th seed 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, having defeated Shapovalov in the Geneva championship match last season.

Ruud lifted the trophy in Buenos Aires in February and is aiming to win his eighth tour-level title this week but first ATP Masters 1000 crown. The World No. 10 reached the final in Miami earlier this season.

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In a tight opening set, Shapovalov had great success when moving forward, winning 9/11 points at the net as he put Ruud under pressure. However, the fifth seed, who hit 10 winners in the set, stuck to his task and received a huge slice of luck with a net cord at 7/7 in the tie-break, which gave him his second set point.

Ruud took full advantage on serve to lead before he continued to play the more consistent tennis in the second set. He saved one set point on serve at 4-5 and then converted on his ninth break point in a mammoth 14-minute game to move 6-5 ahead. Ruud then held his nerve to serve out for victory.

“You always feel the nerves a little bit extra on break points, especially against a big server such as Shapo,” Ruud said. “It is not easy to get a break against him, so you need to take the chances you have and the one I got was enough to seal the second set.”

Shapovalov upset Rafael Nadal en route to last eight, where he was trying to maintain his perfect Masters 1000 quarter-final record, having come into Friday’s clash at 5-0 at that stage.

Stefanos Tsitsipas stood up and delivered Friday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, overcoming Italian Jannik Sinner and a raucous home crowd to reach the semi-finals in Rome for the second time.

In front of vocal fans on centre court, the Greek kept his composure as he demonstrated great footwork to dictate with his forehand and move past the 20-year-old 7-6(5), 6-2 in two hours and 24 minutes.

“I am happy things turned out well. It was a great day at the office,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “I was able to really step it up in the second set and I think the most important part was that first set tie-break. I really went for it when I had to. I didn’t overthink or hesitate and that paid off in the end.”

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The fourth seed, who also advanced to the last four in 2019, consistently took the ball on the rise and drove his groundstrokes through the court as he countered Sinner’s heavy-hitting to improve to 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Tsitsipas will next meet Alexander Zverev after the German downed Cristian Garin 7-5, 6-2. It will be the third time this season that they have played in the semi-finals at a clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event, with the Greek defeating the German en route to the title in Monte Carlo, before Zverev gained revenge in Madrid last week.

“We have similar game styles but he is one of the most difficult players to play against on the Tour,” Tsitsipas said when looking ahead to his match against Zverev. “I have a lot of respect for him. He has achieved a lot so far and I try and look up to him with the things he has achieved.”

The 23-year-old, who saved two match points to defeat Grigor Dimitrov in his opening clash in Rome, has now earned a tour-leading 30 wins this year and is up to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

In an entertaining first set, Tsitsipas flew out of the blocks and into a 3-0 lead as Sinner struggled to cope with the Greek’s depth and weight of shot. However, the Italian then started to settle and produce the kind of tennis that saw him crack the Top 10 last year, finding the corners with regularity as he began to dictate more with his backhand and fight back.

With nothing separating them, a tie-break was left to decide the opener and it was Tsitsipas who raised his level from 5/5, swatting away two forehand volleys to clinch the set in 86 minutes.

Tsitsipas continued to apply the pressure at the start of the second set, breaking immediately as Sinner started to struggle physically. The Greek was solid on serve, consistent off the ground and successfully dealt with Sinner’s drop shots to triumph.

The 10th seed was competing in his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final after beating Pedro Martinez, countryman Fabio Fognini and Filip Krajinovic earlier this week. The 20-year-old was aiming to earn his second Top 10 win of the season, having defeated then-World No. 8 Andrey Rublev en route to the last eight in Monte Carlo.

Alexander Zverev continued the quest for his first title of the season Friday, overcoming Cristian Garin 7-5, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the third time.

In a commanding performance on Grand Stand Arena, the World No. 3 fired his flat groundstrokes through the court as he struck 24 winners and broke the Chilean four times to advance after one hour and 51 minutes.

“It was a high-level match. At times it wasn’t pretty tennis, but I got the job done and that is the most important thing,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “I am through to the semi-finals and I am happy about that.”

With his victory, Zverev has now levelled his ATP Head2Head series with Garin at 1-1, gaining revenge for his defeat to the World No. 45 on clay in Munich in 2019. The German will next play Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas or Italian Jannik Sinner in the last four.

The second seed, who defeated Novak Djokovic to capture the trophy in Rome in 2017, has won seven of his past eight matches after he reached the final at the Mutua Madrid Open last week. The 2021 Nitto ATP Finals winner is yet to drop a set in Rome.

By advancing to the semi-finals in the Italian capital, it means Zverev has enjoyed a run to at least the last four at the three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 events this season. The 25-year-old lost to Tsitsipas in the semi-finals in Monte Carlo in April.

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Garin was appearing in his third Masters 1000 quarter-final, having advanced to this stage in Paris in 2019 and Madrid in 2021.

The five-time tour-level titlist defeated Francesco Passaro, Emil Ruusuvuori and Marin Cilic en route to the last eight, but was unable to cope with Zverev’s ball-striking and intensity as the match went on.