Rome SF preview and prediction: Zverev vs. Tabilo

Alexander Zverev has arguably been the title favorite at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia ever since Novak Djokovic lost in the third round. Zverev’s opponent–the man who beat Djokovic–is anything but.

Alejandro Tabilo will be playing in his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal when he faces Zverev on Friday in Rome. In fact, Tabilo had never been past the fourth round of a Masters 1000 prior to this fortnight and he had been past the second round only once.

However, this season has marked the 26-year-old Chilean’s true breakthrough on tour. He captured his first ATP title on the hard courts of Auckland, finished runner-up in Santiago, won the Aix-en-Provence Challenger earlier this month, and was already in seeded position for the French Open heading into Rome (currently No. 32 in the world). Following victories over Yannick Hanfmann, Djokovic, Karen Khachanov, and Zhizhen Zhang, Tabilo is projected to reach No. 25 even if he loses on Friday.

Extending his run any further will not be easy. Zverev is in spectacular form and absolutely loves Rome. The fifth-ranked German has already advanced to the final twice, lifting the trophy in 2017 prior to a runner-up performance in 2018. Zverev is one win away from a third appearance on championship Sunday following straight-set defeats of Aleksandar Vukic, Luciano Darderi, Nuno Borges, and Taylor Fritz.

There is no past history between these two players, but it is unlikely to be a good matchup for Tabilo. His lefty serve plays right into the hands of Zverev’s favorite shot–his backhand. Tabilo’s down-the-line backhand has been working throughout the fortnight, but Zverev’s forehand–normally his weakness–has been better than ever in Rome.

Zverev obviously has a massive edge in experience, too, so he will likely end his opponent’s impressive run without too much trouble.

Pick: Zverev in 2

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