Italian Open: Jarry books title match with Zverev In Rome

Nicolas Jarry has recovered from a wild second set and epic final game of the match to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final, defeating birthday boy Tommy Paul  in an intense Friday semi-final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Jarry led 40/0 in the final game only to see Paul claw his way back to deuce and ultimately force the Chilean to fight off two break points before closing out the victory on his fifth match point, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 in two hours, 43 minutes.

“I was pleased with how I came back with my aggressive tennis in the third set. To finish the match is never easy, but I made it through and it’s an amazing feeling,” said Jarry, who will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.

As expected, the 6’7” powerhouse Chilean came out swinging freely, dictating play with fearsome forehands that set Paul on the backfoot in the opener. But reward doesn’t always follow risk and Jarry’s 24 unforced errors in the second set allowed Paul back into the match.

Jarry, who spent 30 per cent of the match in attacking positions (compared to Paul’s 22 per cent) according to TDI Insights, is the first Chilean to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final since 2007, when former No. 5 Fernando Gonzalez finished runner-up in the Eternal City.

Now 16-11 on the season, Jarry is up to a career-high No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The three-time tour-level will aim for his biggest career trophy on Sunday, when he goes against third seed and two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Zverev. The German leads Jarry 4-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head serieks.