Isner powers into semis
Rome, May 19: Unseeded American John Isner battled into the Rome Masters semis Friday with a 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 7-6 (7/2) win over Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic.
Isner, ranked 24th in the world, reached the last eight on Thursday when he upset world number three Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.
The towering American will now meet the winner of the quarter-final between 20-year-old German Alexander Zverev, seeded 17th, and big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic.
Second seed Novak Djokovic said he is on track to raise his game for the French Open after reaching the quarterfinals on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.
Djokovic will now face Juan Martin del Potro in the quarters after the unseeded Argentinian’s 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori.
Rafael Nadal, enjoying his best season on clay in two years, booked a quarter-final clash against Austria’s Dominic Thiem, whom he beat in the Madrid Masters final last week, after an “aggressive” 6-3, 6-4 win over American Jack Sock, seeded 13th.
Thiem saved three match points in beating Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7). Nadal, now on a 17match claycourt winning streak, also swept Djokovic aside in the semis in Madrid. But French Open champion Djokovic said: “I’m getting closer, I feel like today’s match was one of the better ones I’ve played on clay this season, and in the past couple of months. In the women’s tournament, Romanian sixth seed Simona Halep surged into the semifinals for the third time after a 6-2, 6-4 win over Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit on Friday. Halep, who reached the French Open final at Roland Garros in 2014, sets up a clash with Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens or Australian Daria Gavrilova.
Venus Williams overcame determined Briton Johanna Konta to win their third-round clash 61, 3-6, 6-1 and takes on Spain’s Garbine Muguruza for a place in the semis.
Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, the seventh seed, suffered a 2-6, 7-5, 64 defeat to Australian qualifier Daria Gavrilova.
Gavrilova will meet Dutch 15th seed Kiki Bertens after she beat unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (7/3), 6-1.
Bopanna, Cuevas move ahead
Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas came from behind to knock out seventh seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez, sealing a quarter-final berth.
Bopanna and Cuevas rallied to beat the Spaniards 4-6, 7-6 (7) ,10-8 in a gruelling second round match.
In the one-hour-39 minute match, Bopanna and Cuevas got three break chances but could convert none and lost their serve once in the opening set.
They next face the fourth-seeded pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.