Novak Djokovic set up an Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-final blockbuster against old rival Rafael Nadal after both former world No. 1 players on Friday battled back in thrilling last-eight clashes.
The Serb fought back against Kei Nishikori to earn a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win, while top seed Nadal continued his clay court domination with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Italy’s Fabio Fognini.
On a dramatic and exhausting day, there were also quarter-final wins for three-time winner Maria Sharapova and defending men’s champion Alexander Zverev.
Photo: AP
Djokovic, seeded 11th after his elbow injury problems, beat Japan’s top player for the 12th time in succession.
“It was a fantastic match, we went toe-to-toe all the way to last shot. He started, he was flawless from both ends,” said Djokovic, who is to face Nadal for the 51st time, holding a narrow 26-24 advantage.
“We will see tomorrow. I’ve not played so many matches in the last six months,” Djokovic said. “Physically, I’m OK. I just need some rest now and then go out and give it everything I’ve got.”
Nadal dropped the opening set to Fognini in an hour, but regrouped effortlessly as he swept past the Italian.
Nadal is working toward Roland Garros, where he is to aim for an unprecedented 11th title.
“My clay court season has been, I think, fantastic. It will be much better if I finish here with another title,” he added.
Marin Cilic beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Rome semi-finals for the first time, where he is to face second seed Zverev.
Defending champion Zverev battled past Belgium’s David Goffin 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in a quarter-final that finished just before 1am.
In the women’s singles, Sharapova fired a French Open warning with an epic 3 hour, 10 minute, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 7-5 win over Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko to reach the semi-finals.
For former world No. 1 Sharapova, now the world No. 40, it was arguably her best victory since her return from a 15-month doping ban.
“It was nice to close things down in that way after a long match,” three-time Rome champion Sharapova said. “I didn’t have a great first set, I kept going. I like to smile about it.”
“I appreciate this new chapter of my career. I still have lots of passion for the sport and for this life. I realize I’m toward the end of my career, so I appreciate it,” she added.
Sharapova rode a roller coaster in her win, working her way from 4-1 down in the first set only to drop it in a tiebreaker after 80 minutes.
She regained her momentum to win the second set, but it was tough in the third when she let a 5-2 lead get away.
With Sharapova serving for victory, Ostapenko secured a break for 4-5 thanks to a ninth Sharapova double-fault, which yielded a break point.
The sixth seed then saved two Sharapova match points to level 5-5, before the Russian claimed victory two games later with a final break in a match marred by 21 cumulative double-faults and a dozen breaks of serve.
Sharapova is next to face world No. 1 Simona Halep, who made sure of the top seeding at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-3 win over France’s Caroline Garcia.
Fourth seed Elina Svitolina recovered from a slow start to defeat Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 6-4.
Defending champion Svitolina is next to face Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit, who earned an upset over second seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-1.
In the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles, Australian-Taiwanese duo Daria Gavrilova and Hsieh Su-wei fell 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 to eighth seeds Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands in 1 hour, 13 minutes.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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