For the third time in his career, World No. 5 Alexander Zverev will play the final in Rome; he is bidding to claim his first title this season, the second at the iconic Foro Italico against Chilean player Nicolas Jarry on Sunday.
World number five Alexander Zverev will square off against 21st seed Nicolas Jarry on Campo Centrale, bidding to achieve his first title this season in Rome Sunday’s championship match.
The German player came back from a set down to overpower 29th seed Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, advancing to his 11th ATP Masters 1000 final, his third at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia where in 2017 he claimed the title at the age of 20.
The third seed leads Jarry 4-2 in their series, having recorded two triumphs each on the clay surface.
Meanwhile, the Chilean player progressed to the biggest final of his career, his first on the Masters 1000 level, after defeating 14th seed Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 on Friday.
The nail-biting contest saw the 28-year-old secure his place in the showpiece final by displaying with brilliance his big game, earning the chance to become the second player from his country to win a Masters 1000 title after compatriot and former world number one Marcelo Rios.
Should he beat Zverev on Sunday, the World No. 24 from Santiago de Chile will become the first South American player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title since Argentine Juan Martin del Potro won Indian Wells in 2018.
After achieving uncharted territory, Jarry shared his thoughts about his ultimate challenge, asserting: “[I need to] just continue doing my game, continue being aggressive, dictating, try to be moving the ball with the forehand, serving good, consistent, and being strong mentally.”
The Road to the Championship Match
Zverev, a 21-time ATP titlist, dropped his lone set in the tournament during his semifinal encounter against Tabilo, who enjoyed a memorable run at the prestigious event, stunning world number one Novak Djokovic in the round of 32.
Moreover, ruthless on serve, the Hamburg native moved past 11th seed Taylor Fritz, Portuguese Nuno Borges, home hope Luciano Darderi, and Aleksandar Vukic.
For his part, Jarry punched his ticket to the last four after sealing the upset over 6th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a dramatic three-setter on Thursday in the Eternal City.
Looking to lift his fourth title at tour level, he also took down Frenchman Alexandre Muller and unseeded Italians Stefano Napolitano and Matteo Arnaldi.
En route to the final, the man who will achieve a new career-high on Monday lost three sets.
