Zverev downs Isner to reach Rome final

ROME: Germany’s Alexander Zverev yesterday won a battle of the giants to down unseeded American John Isner 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 and reach the Italian Open final.

Zverev’s victory made the tall 20-year-old the youngest ATP Masters 1000 finalist since a 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in Miami in 2007.

The German could meet world number two Djokovic in today’s final, with the Serbian playing Austrian Dominic Thiem in the other semifinal.

Zverev had looked like wrapping up the match in straight sets after romping through the opener in under half an hour, but a defiant Isner forced a rethink when he took the second set down to a tie-break.

The German was 5-0 down in the tie-break but battled back before Isner took the match to a third set with a forehand winner.

Isner, the first American to reach the semi-finals in Rome since Andy Roddick in 2008, had a chance to break with Zverev leading 3-1 in the final set but the German snuffed out the challenge.

Djokovic will make his second appearance of the day when he takes on Thiem at the Foro Italico after beating Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 6-4 in a rain-delayed quarter-final carried over from Friday.

Thiem shocked seven-time winner Rafa Nadal on Friday but has lost his previous four encounters with Djokovic.

French Open champion Garbine Muguruza retired with a neck injury at the Italian Open yesterday with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina going through to a final against Romania’s sixth seed Simona Halep. – Reuters