That did not take long. One week after relinquishing the top spot in the ATP Rankings, Rafael Nadal will make his return to No. 1. Nadal is set to embark on his 174th week at the pinnacle of men's tennis after ousting Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, in a pulsating final at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Sunday. He capped another dominant week on the dirt, capturing his third ATP World Tour title in less than a month. After five years, the Spaniard is back in the winners' circle in Rome. He notched an unprecedented eighth crown at the iconic Foro Italico, adding to victories in 2005-07, 2009-10 and 2012-13. Nadal was at his ruthless best once again and following...
When Alexander Zverev arrived at the Foro Italico last year, the German had never reached the semi-finals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. In fact, at World No. 17, he held just a 17-13 record at the elite level. But the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, at which Zverev lifted his maiden Masters 1000 trophy, proved to be just the beginning. One year on, the 21-year-old defeated Marin Cilic on Saturday evening 7-6(13), 7-5 in the Rome semi-finals to win his 13th match in a row, as he attempts to win back-to-back-to-back titles after triumphing in Munich and Madrid. "It was very tough. It's always tough playing Marin. He's one of the best players on Tour right now," Zverev...
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah reached their third tour-level final of 2018 on Saturday, defeating Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-8 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Mutua Madrid Open semi-finalists (l. Mektic/Peya) saved five of the seven break points they faced en route to their second victory over Murray and Soares in four FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. Cabal and Farah will be attempting to win their first title since the 2017 BMW Open by FWU (d. Chardy/Martin) last May. Cabal and Farah will face Pablo Carreno Busta/Joao Sousa in the final. Murray and Soares made a dream start to the semi-final encounter, breaking to love to secure a 1-0 lead. But it was the Colombian duo...
Rafael Nadal won 50 sets in a row on clay, a record for consecutive sets on a single surface, before falling in last week’s Madrid quarter-finals. Nevertheless, the Spaniard entered Saturday's semi-finals in Rome with a 17-1 record on the surface in 2018. It was clear that the top seed was in form. But longtime rival Novak Djokovic, who had won three of their past four FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings on clay, stood across the net. And the four-time Rome champion played arguably the best match of his comeback from a right elbow injury, channeling the level and intensity that helped him to four year-end No. 1 finishes in the ATP Rankings. It still was not enough. Nadal outdueled Djokovic...
Alexander Zverev made his breakthrough last year at the Foro Italico, winning his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event as the No. 17 player in the ATP Rankings. Now World No. 3, Zverev is proving he has a realistic shot at retaining his trophy. Zverev defeated 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour, 47 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The German has now won 12 consecutive matches after triumphing in Munich and earning his third Masters 1000 title in Madrid last week. He had won 23 consecutive sets before dropping the second set against Goffin in the late hours of Friday evening. "Just happy to be in another...
