Italian Open 2020: Shapovalov and Ruud sail into semifinals

Casper Ruud sails to the semifinals defeating Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) in three hours. He aced 20 forehand winners improving to 12-2 on the surface for the year. The Italian impressively led the opener in 54 minutes with strong serving and aggressive forehands. However, the second set was dictated by the Buenos Aires champion as he fired nine forehand winners. He further dashed with his momentum in the decider recovering from 2/4 down in the tie-break and aceing his 17th victory of the year.

“The way I played today, I think it was tactically great,” Ruud reflected back on the match.

“I tried to play many points the same, trying to move him not only to the sides but also a little bit back in the court, because inside the court he’s one of the best players in the world,” he added.

“It feels great [to be in a Masters 1000 semi-final], obviously. These [are the] things that all players work hard for every day in practice, [to] try to make it far in the big tournaments and big events, This is my first time in the semi-finals and today was even my first time in the quarter-finals. I’m just enjoying the moment, I guess. I’m in a good flow. I have gained good confidence in my game this week,” Ruud concluded.

Ruud next battles World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for a place in his first Masters 1000 final.

Denis Shapovalov reaches the Italian Open 2020 semifinals defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 and aceing his 100^th tour-level match victory. the 21-year-old aced the first set confidently breaking his opponent’s serve three times in a tight face-off. In a topsy-turvy second set, though he managed to earn a ‘boomerang break’ with a witty backhand shot, broke back and took over. Finally, Dimitrov’s double faults in the decider, giving the 2019 Stockholm Open champion a 2-0 lead and he aggressively dashed past to seal the deal.

“Grigor’s a player I’ve looked up to from juniors. I really love the way he plays,” Shapovalov said on court after his win.

“He’s beaten me twice before, so it’s really nice to get the win and it’s a huge step for my career,” Shapovalov added.