Alexander Zverev advances to his first Masters 1000 final since 2022, fights past Alejandro Tabilo in Italian Open SF
Alexander Zverev came back from a set down to defeat high-flying Alejandro Tabilo in the semifinal of the 2024 Italian Open. Subsequently, the German player reached his first Masters 1000 final since 2022.
Zverev was ousted in the 2024 Madrid Open in the Round of 16 stage against Francisco Cerundolo. Days later, in the Italian Open, Zverev found himself in a newfound form.
Leading up to his semifinal against Tabilo, Zverev did not lose a set while battling against the likes of Aleksandar Vukic, Luciano Darderi, Nuno Borges, and Taylor Fritz.
Meanwhile, Tabilo also did not lose a set in his run to the semifinal. He defeated Yannick Hanfmann in the second round and followed it up with a shock result against Novak Djokovic. The Chilean continued his winning streak by defeating Karen Khachanov and Zhang Zhizhen.
This was Tabilo's first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal and he was off the blocks in no time. The German could not handle Tabilo's drop shots and aggressive play resulting in a 1-6 first set loss.
Zverev was much better in the second set but he was on the brink of defeat with the tiebreaker in the second set tied at 3-3. However, the 27-year-old pulled himself out of trouble and won the set 7-6 (4). The Chilean's level dropped in the third set and Zverev took complete advantage to bag the decider 6-2.
The Italian Open final will be Zverev's first Masters 1000 final since he played the 2022 Madrid Open final. Carlos Alcaraz defeated him in straight sets on that night in Madrid.
Further, this will be Zverev's third Italian Open final and sixth Masters 1000 final appearance. He won the tournament in Rome in 2017 and was a runner-up in 2018. By reaching the final, he has tied Boris Becker's record of reaching the most Masters 1000 finals (6) by a German since 1990.
Alexander Zverev all praise for his Italian Open 2024 SF opponent Alejandro Tabilo
Alejandro Tabilo pushed Alexander Zverev to bring out his best to achieve a win. Zverev admitted that the 26-year-old Chilean did not let him gain rhythm and he was happy to come out with a win.
"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 in his post-match interview.
"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."
In the 2024 Italian Open final on Sunday, May 19, Alexander Zverev will take on the winner of the other semifinal between American Tommy Paul and Chilean Nicolas Jarry.