Rain halts Stefanos Tsitsipas charge as he leads Novak Djokovic overnight in Italian Open quarters
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ByEurosport
Published 14/05/2021 at 19:41 GMT
The winner of the contest will face either Andrey Rublev or Lorenzo Sonego in the semi-finals. Earlier in the day, Rafael Nadal overcame the challenge of Alexander Zverev in straight sets to advance to the semi-finals. The Spaniard will face Reilly Opelka for a place in the final of the Italian Open.
Heavy rain stops play in Rome with Tsitsipas leading Djokovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas will have to sleep on a lead over world number one Novak Djokovic after rain delayed their quarter-finals clash at the Italian Open.
Rain took the players off on two occasions, with the second delay coming at a point in the match where Tsitsipas was a set and a break to the good at 6-4 2-1.
Tsitsipas made an excellent start, with his attacking play earning him a break of serve in the opening game. The Greek was gifted a second break by a Djokovic double fault, but the world number one reduced the deficit to 4-3 when the players were taken off for a lengthy rain delay.
The underdog held his nerve upon the resumption, after a break of over three hours, to close out the opening set.
Djokovic did not look comfortable in the conditions and with rain beginning to fall, the Serbian lost his serve again. He had a lengthy chat with the umpire and play was suspended for a second time with Tsitsipas a set and a break in front.
The halt in play came at a good time for Djokovic, and Tsitsipas will be aware of the Serb’s ability to rally from unpromising positions.
The winner of the match will face either Andrey Rublev or Lorenzo Sonego in the semi-finals.
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