By Tony Fairbairn
- Alexander Zverev [3] v Alejandro Tabilo [29]
- Tommy Paul [14] v Nicolas Jarry [21]
ROME, ITALY – Former champion Alexander Zverev aims to capitalize on an open draw in the Rome semi-finals as he continues his bid to find confidence ahead of Roland Garros.
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Alexander Zverev [3] v Alejandro Tabilo [29] | H2H: First Meeting
Despite a tournament of upsets and injuries, Alexander Zverev has held his nerve to reach the semi-finals in Rome. The German is yet to drop a set in Rome so far and now bids to not only win the title for the second time in his career but also find confidence ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season at Roland Garros. Standing in Zverev’s way is Novak Djokovic’s conqueror Alejandro Tabilo who is into his first Masters 1000 semi-final after a straight sets win over Zhizhen Zhang.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alexander Zverev [3] v Alejandro Tabilo [29] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €284,590 |
| Second on Center Court (Not before 14:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After an inconsistent clay court season, Zverev has regained momentum with an impressive week in Rome as he is into the semi-finals without dropping a set.
Now Zverev aims to continue his form as he bids for a second title at the Foro Italico and continues his journey to finding confidence ahead of Roland Garros.
Next for Zverev is the in-form Tabilo who has backed up his win over Djokovic in impressive fashion to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final.
The Chilean will be hoping he can keep up his red-hot form as he will be a player to avoid for many players in next week’s Roland Garros draw.
Speaking after his win over Taylor Fritz, Zverev spoke about the importance of his forehand after dominating on that shot from the baseline during his quarter-final win.
“That’s the shot I either win or lose matches with. That’s how it’s been my entire career,” Zverev told the ATP website.
“When I’m hitting that shot well, that’s when I win. When I’m not hitting it too well, that’s when I lose. That’s definitely the shot I’ve been working the most on in my career, also my serve obviously.
“That’s what gives you the security to take maybe a bit more risk from the baseline. It’s the most important shot for any tennis player.”
Meanwhile Tabilo still cannot believe that he is in a Masters 1000 semi-final and spoke about his pride of the achievement.
“I can’t believe it right now. I’m still trying to just soak this in,” Tabilo stated to the ATP website.
“I’m just so happy. I felt pretty good on court, pretty solid. I was just trying to my job and play my best tennis. It’s definitely the best tennis of my life right now, but I was trying to keep a poker face there, because inside I was so nervous.
“Every time, trying close out the match gets a little bit tighter. So I was just trying to be loose, trying to smile out there at the end, and thank god I served so well at the end. That helped me close out the match.”
Zverev will continue to be aggressive from the forehand side as he aims to use depth to neutralize Tabilo’s attacking threat.
Meanwhile Tabilo will aim to use slice and variety to force Zverev to hit shorter balls as he aims to move Zverev from side to side.
Neither player has dropped a set so far so something has to give in this match with Tabilo’s confidence, fearlessness and form giving him the edge in this semi-final.
Prediction: Tabilo in three sets.
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Tommy Paul [14] v Nicolas Jarry [21] | H2H: Jarry leads 1-0
Tommy Paul has translated his aggressive all-court game to clay as he is into the semi-finals in Rome after wins over defending champion Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Now Paul will aim to continue his confident form as he won’t have a better chance to reach a first Masters 1000 final. Next for Paul is in-form clay courter Nicolas Jarry after the Chilean stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the semi-finals in Rome for the first time.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Tommy Paul [14] v Nicolas Jarry [21] | H2H: Jarry leads 1-0 |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €284,590 |
| Fourth on Center Court (Not before 19:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Paul’s aggressive baseline game has finally earned its rewards on clay after two big wins on the red dirt sees him into the last four in Rome.
The American will hope his form continues over the next few weeks as he searches for a first Masters 1000 final.
Standing in Paul’s way is Jarry who has had a fantastic season and has been rewarded with a spot in the last four in Rome.
The Chilean will believe that a deep run at Roland Garros is only a matter of time as he aims to continue his confident form into the second Grand Slam of the season.
After his quarter-final, Paul credited his energy conservation and spoke about his baseline game is holding up.
“I started off pretty well, but things really got away from me there in the second set, and at the beginning of the third,” Paul explained to the ATP website.
“I just had to stick around, fake a little energy to get myself going there in the third. I started looking for my forehand more, started hitting it bigger, and playing with a little bit more intensity. That was probably the key for me in the end.
“The court position is a big thing. I can play aggressive from the back of the court. I think that’s kind of what [Stine] wants me to do. Sometimes when I want to play aggressive, I get ahead of myself and get too close to the baseline.
“The last match I played I was on offence a lot, so I guess I kind of came out thinking it was going to be the same. Obviously with Hubi, he can crush the ball, so I had to give a little bit of ground there in the end.”
Meanwhile Jarry praised his fighting spirit after stunning Tsitsipas to reach the semi-finals in Rome.
“I think beating Stefanos on clay is a good achievement. Certainly happy with my fight today, for how I played and how I maintained myself,” Jarry told the ATP website.
“I kept trying to find different ways to have chances on his serve. I knew I was playing good. I had to adjust some things in the backhand so he didn’t push me back, that’s why he played so good. I was able to do those things and I’m extremely happy for the win.
“I always practise, always trying to find ways to be better, be stronger, be happier, enjoying it more. The last two matches, I’ve enjoyed it a lot so that’s my greatest achievement so far.
“Happy for that and that it’s brought me into the semis. [I will] try to continue this path. I’m playing pretty well, I just want to maintain it. That’s the toughest thing of all.”
Paul will use variety to force errors from Jarry’s game as the American looks to play counter-attacking tennis.
Meanwhile Jarry will aim to dictate play with the forehand as the Chilean looks to maintain his consistency on serve.
This will be a physical match between two confident players but Jarry’s power and quality will just about edge Paul’s all-court game in a match where there is a lot on the line for both players.
Prediction: Jarry in three sets.
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