Alexander Zverev reached his third Rome Masters final and in the process, dashed the prospect of an all-Chilean final with his 1-6 7-6(4) 6-2 defeat of Alejandro Tabilo while Nicolas Jarry, in the second semi-final, outlasted Tommy Paul 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3.
I was pleased with how I came back with my aggressive tennis in the third set. To finish the match is never easy, but I made it through and it’s an amazing feeling, Nicolas Jarry
The German, who won his first Masters event in Rome back in 2017, struggled initially as Tabilo swept though the opening set breaking the third seed twice to claim the opener in 32-minutes. Until that moment, Zverev had not dropped his serve once in his previous four matches.
The Chilean who had beaten a the world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the third round, looked set to add the German to his fast increasing number of victims, but the second set was much tighter affair.
Tabilo had a chance to break in the seventh game but was successfully fended off as Zverev was slowly finding his rhythm, especially on serve. He also had a break chance of his won in the next game.
Zverev piled on the pressure as Tabilo scrambled for a 6-5 lead, but the Chilean forced a tie-break as he kept his hopes of a maiden Masters final alive, but those hopes were then firmly dashed in the decider.
“I was just hanging on in the second set. I brought my energy up. I was really just hanging on and waiting and the patience was kind of good today,” Zverev said following his two-hour, 17-minute battle.
“He hit me off the court in the first set and I did not play well at all, but he was a big reason why. He gave me no rhythm and I am happy I turned it around in the tie-break and ran away in the third set.”
Nicolas Jarry celebrates his victory
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Zverev, who is no midget, faces a second Chilean on Sunday, namely the 6’7” Nicolas Jarry who reached his biggest career final by outlasting Tommy Paul of the US, in just under three hours.
The pair could not be separated in the early stages of the match and it was Jarry who made the first break through to snatch a 5-3 lead in the opener and then close out the set.
The Chilean broke the American again to pull ahead 3-2 in the second but the 14th seeded American hit back to force a tiebreak where he levelled the match.
In the decider Jarry broke serve for 4-2, but a determined Paul clung on and fought off four match points in a lengthy game to stay in contention for a spot in the final.
However, Jarry’s serve proved too strong and after more than 12 minutes of nail-biting action, he finally edged the match-winning game to reach his seventh Tour final – his first at Masters level.
The result was a major disappointment for Paul who was celebrating his 27th birthday.
“I was pleased with how I came back with my aggressive tennis in the third set. To finish the match is never easy, but I made it through and it’s an amazing feeling,” Jarry said later.
“It’s in those moments that I play my best tennis,” he added. “That’s when I go for it and if it goes in, amazing, if it doesn’t then you give it up. I try to be like that throughout the whole match. It’s difficult to maintain that level constantly, but I’m in the final, so…”
Zverev leads Jarry 4-2 but the Jarry wins were earnt on clay!
