ROME: Chilean 21st seed Nicolas Jarry outclassed American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 to reach the Italian Open on Friday as former champion Alexander Zverev recovered from a slow start to beat Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.
Jarry produced relentless power from the baseline, hitting 13 aces and 35 winners to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final in two hours and 44 minutes.
Jarry took a 5-3 lead in the opener, relying on his service before closing out the set with a brilliant ace.
Paul, the 14th seed, refused to go quietly in the second, pegging back the Chilean's 4-2 lead to force a tiebreak, which the American won to take the match to a decider.
Jarry started the third strongly and opened a 5-2 lead, winning 13 points at the net before securing victory when a Paul backhand went wide.
The Chilean, seeded 21st, is the first player from his country to reach a Masters 1000 final since Fernando Gonzalez in Rome in 2007. He will also move up in the world rankings to 17th.
"I think I played my best tennis. I gave it everything and went for it. I did that the whole match. It's hard to keep that level of concentration, but now I'm in the final," Jarry said.
"It was hard to enjoy it. I tried anyway. The important thing is that I came back with my best tennis in the third set and was aggressive. It's never easy to finish, but I did it and it's amazing the feeling I have now," he added. Agencies
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