German tennis star Alexander Zverev staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 in an engaging semi-final at the Italian Open in Rome. Despite a slow start, Zverev’s resilience and tactical adjustments propelled him to victory.
“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. “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.”
Zverev struggled initially, unable to counter Tabilo’s effective drop shots throughout the first hour. Tabilo, competing in his first Masters 1000 semi-final, had previously upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round and maintained strong form until midway through the second-set tie-break. However, a shift in his play allowed Zverev to seize the momentum and force a decisive third set.
Raising his intensity, Zverev dominated the final set, advancing to his third final in Rome. His two-hour, 16-minute victory also ended a four-match losing streak in tour-level semi-finals. This marks his first final appearance since winning in Chengdu in September 2023 and his first ATP Masters 1000 final since Madrid in 2022.
Zverev, who claimed the Rome title in 2017 at age 20, will compete for his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title against either American Tommy Paul or Chilean Nicolas Jarry. By reaching the final, Zverev has tied Boris Becker’s record for the most ATP Masters 1000 finals by a German since the series began in 1990.
Sunday’s final represents Zverev’s biggest match since his ankle injury in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-finals against Rafael Nadal. A win would elevate him to No. 4 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and to second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Zverev’s service game was crucial, making 69 percent of his first serves and winning 80 percent of those points, though he struggled on his second serve, winning just 36 percent of points.
“If he plays the way he plays it is difficult to be aggressive,” Zverev noted. “It is hard to just say I am going to hit my forehand harder or backhand harder. If I am just picking up balls it is definitely difficult to do that. The one thing I didn’t do well at the beginning was serve well. That was something I think doesn’t help. All in all, I am happy in the final. At the end, winning is the most important.”
Tabilo, who did not drop a set en route to the semi-finals, will rise to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The 26-year-old recently won his first tour-level title in Auckland and triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Aix-en-Provence earlier this month. He entered the Rome tournament at a career-high No. 32.
Zverev in Rome, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently the world no.5, the German has managed to achieve a composed 27-9 win-loss record in 2024. Alexander is currently having a run in Rome where he toppled the world no.70 Aleksandar Vukic 6-0 6-4, the world no.54 Luciano Darderi 7-63 6-2, the world no.53 Nuno Borges 6-2 7-5, the world no.13 Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-3 and the world no.32 Alejandro Tabilo 1-6 7-64 6-2.
Alexander Zverev will come up against the world no.24 Nicolas Jarry in the final. Their actual head to head record is 4-2 for Zverev.
The German conquered 1 title in 2024 in Australia.
Alexander won 22 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 7 on clay courts and 7 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Zverev will play next at the French Open (French Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of May.
Alexander Zverev |
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