TENNIS – Top-seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic fought back from a set down to battle past Thomas Bellucci with 5-7 6-2 6-3 to advance to the quarter finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. With the win Nole has improved his winning streak to 19 match wins. The third round matches were highlighted by Tomas Berdych’s hard-fought win over Fabio Fognini after three exciting sets. Federer and Nadal advance to the fourth round but Murray withdrew Diego Sampaolo
Djokovic won their only two previous matches in Rome 2010 and Madrid 2011 on clay.
The first set went on serve until 5-5 when Bellucci capitalized on his first break point chance in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead in the opening game before closing out the first set after 51 minutes. Djokovic, who also needed three sets in his second round match against Nicolas Almagro, bounced back in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead in the second set as Bellucci sent a smash into the net. In the sixth game of the third set Bellucci recovered from 0-40 on his serve but Djokovic broke serve to take a decisive 4-2 lead. Bellucci broke straight back. Djokovic managed to break again before closing out the match after two hours.
In the quarter final Djokovic will take on Kei Nishikori who defeated Victor Troicki 6-4 6-3 reaching the best result of his career in Rome.
Nishikori wasted a 40-15 but he won the seventh game at deuce. In the next game Troicki went down 15-40 and dropped his serve. Nishikori went up 0-40 on Troicki’s serve and broke again for 6-4 in the 10th game. Nishikiori went up a set and a break and opened up a 3-0 lead but Troicki broke him in the fifth game. Troicki saved two break points and drew level to 3-3. Kei got the decisive break in the 8th game.
Nishikori and Djokovic met five times in their careers. Djokovic leads 3-2 over Nishikori. The Japanese player won the 2014 US Open semifinal but the Serb prevailed in Paris Bercy and at the ATP World Finals.
Roger Federer beat Kevin Anderson 6-3 7-5. After winning the first set with 6-3 without facing any break point chances, the Swiss legend faced a tough challenge only at the end of the second set when Anderson fought back from a double break down to recover from 2-5 to 5-5 but Federer got another break before closing out the match at his third opportunity. Federer has reached his seventh quarter final in Rome, one of the two Master 1000 Tournament missing from his trophy cabinet
Federer set up a quarter final match against Tomas Berdych who recovered from losing the second set to edge past Fabio Fognini with 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2) after two hours and 35 minutes in front of enthusiastic Italian fans who strongly supported their hero in a packed Nicola Pietrangeli court. Berdych had to fend off six of his 10 break point chances. It was the first time that Berdych beat Fognini on clay.
Fognini led 2-1 over Berdych in their previous three head-to-head matches. The Italian won twice in Monte-Carlo, while the Czech prevailed at the US Open.
Berdych opened up a 2-0 lead in the first set. He faced a break point but he saved it before pulling away to 4-1.
At 2-4 Fognini brought up a break point but Berdych saved it. The Czech player never looked back holding his serve to close out the first set with 6-3 after 44 minutes. Berdych won 32 points to 27 for Fognini
Berdych broke serve in the first game of the second set and held his serve for 2-0. Fognini broke back and reeled off five consecutive games from 0-2 to take a 5-2 lead after winning 21 points to 5 before closing out the second set with 6-3 to force the match to the third set.
Berdych saved a break point in a hard-fought first game of the third set. The two players held their serve and after a hard-fought 10th game the third set was decided by the tie-break. Fognini started with a mini-break but Berdych pulled away to 4-2 thanks to his serve en route to winning the breaker with 7-2 with three consecutive points after 2 hours and 44 minutes. Fognini had nothing to regret. He won 46 points in the third set, two more than Berdych but Berdych is in his best form this year.
“I have no regrets. I did my best until the end. I thank the crowd for the strong support. I have a great motivation ahead of the Roland Garros”, said Fognini.
David Goffin took advantage of a a walk- over following Andy Murray’s withdrawal. The Belgian player will face David Ferrer who won the all-Spanish clash against Guillermo Garcia Lopez with 6-1 6-3.
Four-seed Rafa Nadal beat John Isner 6-4 6-4 extending his winning streak to 6-0 over the US player.
Nadal missed a chance at 0-40 in the first game before breaking serve in the fifth game of the opening set. The seven-time Rome champion got the break in the ninth game of the second set with a forehand return to take a 5-4 lead before serving out for his 47th win in 50 matches at the Foro Italico after 80 minutes.
Nadal will take on Stan Wawrinka who beat Dominic Thiem 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.
Wawrinka earned a break point at 2-1 but Thiem saved with an ace. Thiem brought up a break point chance at 3-3 but Wawrinka saved it with another ace. The first set went on serve until the tie-break where Wawrinka opened up a 4-0 lead en route to winning the first set with 7-3. Wawrinka got the decisive break for 3-2 in the second set. He held his serve until the end winning the match with 6-4
