Germany’s Alexander Zverev became the youngest player in a decade to reach a Masters final when he clinched a gutsy 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 win over big-serving American John Isner in Rome yesterday. Zverev, 20, will meet four-time winner Novak Djokovic, who overcame having to play twice in a day with a ruthless 6-1, 6-0 win over Dominic Thiem.
Djokovic, the former World No.1 , was forced to finish his quarter-final victory over Juan Martin del Potro earlier in the day after their match was rained off late on Friday. But the setback seemed only to inspire the Serbian second seed, as he set up what is expected to be a mouthwatering final, and first meeting, with Zverev.
Djokovic was the previous youngest Masters finalist, going all the way to the title in Miami as a 19-year-old in 2007.  Zverev will climb to a new career high in the rankings at number 14 by reaching the final and would break into the top 10 with the title.
“I don’t look at these kind of stats, who is the youngest player to have a Masters 1000 title or things like this. I try to play match by match and try to improve,” said Zverev, who fired 12 aces and 41 winners past the 32-year-old Isner.
Thiem, beaten to the Madrid Masters title by Rafael Nadal last week, avenged his loss by dumping Spain’s former seven-time Rome champion out in the quarters on Friday. Djokovic had taken a one-set lead over Del Potro, who held a 2-1 lead in the second set before heavy rain and lightning halted play on Friday.
In the WTA event, French Open champion Garbine Muguruza was forced to retire due to a neck injury from her semi-final against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. The Spanish third seed was 1-4 down after just 22 minutes in the first set when she quit, handing the eighth-seeded Svitolina a place in today’s final against Romania’s Simona Halep. It was her fourth retirement of the season after Miami, Brisbane and Dubai.
Svitolina will chase a fourth title of the year after trophy triumphs in Taiwan, Dubai and Istanbul. Muguruza had needed three sets to beat Venus Williams in the quarter-finals on Friday night. “I didn’t want to leave Rome without trying to play,” said Muguruza.
Sixth-seeded Halep, the champion in Madrid last weekend, reached her first final in Rome after sweeping aside Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 7-5, 6-1 in her semi-final. “Sometimes a win over a top player gives you confidence,” Halep said after her semi-final. “Sometimes the work you do before the tournaments gives you confidence that you are ready to go.
Sometimes just winning some matches, tough ones, even if in three sets, those are the most important matches.” The Romanian, a winner in Madrid last weekend for the second year in a row, made sure of her first Rome final in an hour and 17 minutes, with the start delayed by half an hour due to overnight rain. After a hard-fought first set, with Bertens having her chances and saving five set points to hold serve and take it to 4-5 before then breaking Halep, the Romanian broke back and served out cleanly.  
She then romped to a 4-0 lead in the second set before Bertens held serve. But there was no holding off Halep, who made only one unforced error in the set and wrapped up the victory as the skies opened again.
Results
Men: Semi-finals: Alexander Zverev (GER) bt John Isner (USA) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1; Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x8) 6-1, 6-0
Quarter-finals: Djokovic bt Juan Mart?n Del Potro (ARG) 6-1, 6-4
Women: Semi-finals: Simona Halep (ROM x6) bt Kiki Bertens (NED x15) 7-5, 6-1; Elina Svitolina (UKR x8) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) 4-1 retired