ROME (AP) – For about an hour, Alexander Zverev had no answer to the rocket-like forehands and perfectly placed drop shots that Alejandro Tabilo kept producing on Rome’s red clay.
The fifth-ranked Zverev kept patient, though, and took his chance when it came as he rallied to beat his unheralded Chilean opponent 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 on Friday for a spot in the Italian Open final.
“I was just hanging on the second set. I brought my energy up,” Zverev said. “He hit me off the court in the first set and I didn’t play well at all, but he was a big reason why. He gave me no rhythm.”
Today’s final, Zverev will face anothern Chilean, Nicolas Jarry, who beat Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 on the American’s 27th birthday.
The 24th-ranked Jarry came back from a set down to eliminate Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and will be playing his first Masters Series final.
It was an appealing contrast in styles between the big-serving six-foot-seven Jarry, who goes for a lot of his shots, and the more defensive-minded Paul, who grinds it out and likes to make his opponents play longer points. Jarry required five match points to finish off Paul and ended up with 33 winners to his Paul’s 20, but also many more unforced errors – 49 to 15 – in a match that lasted nearly three hours.
“I go for it. And, if everything goes in, amazing,” Jarry said. “But it’s difficult to maintain.”
Zverev, the 2017 Rome champion, had the pinkie on his left hand bandaged following a fall in his previous match, after which he said his finger was “crooked.” The German plays right-handed but uses a two-handed backhand.
