Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic move into Rome semis
Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic will meet in the Internazionali d'Italia semi-finals after beating David Goffin and Pablo Carreño Busta respectively.
Alexander Zverev continued his winning streak, battling past David Goffin and into the Internazionali d'Italia semi-finals on Friday. Zverev stretched his winning streak to 12 matches with a hard-fought 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory over Goffin in their last-eight clash in Rome. The German saw his run of 23 consecutive sets won ended, and he appeared set for a quarter-final exit when Goffin broke in the fifth game of the decider.
But it was all Zverev from then on, the defending champion winning 13 of the final 15 points to progress with Roma great Francesco Totti watching from the stands. Marin Cilic is next up for Zverev, the fourth seed having eased into the last four with a 6-3 6-3 triumph over Spain's Pablo Carreño Busta.
Zverev rallies to extend streak
Zverev looked set for an exit with Goffin leading 3-2 in the final set, but the 21-year-old responded just when he needed to. The match was still going past midnight in Rome, Zverev reeling off four straight games to seal his win. He will fancy his chances of another appearance in the final, having won his past four meetings with Cilic – including on clay in Madrid last year.
Marin on the march
Cilic needed just over an hour to defeat Carreño Busta, converting all three break-point opportunities that came his way in the one-sided contest. The Croatian also excelled on his own serve, suggesting his game on clay is in fine touch ahead of the upcoming French Open at Roland Garros.
"I think I [have] improved as a player over the years on clay," Cilic told the ATP Tour's website after a routine win. "Last year, I found a really good combination of training and also preparing for the matches, [so I] maybe slightly changed my game on clay."