Djokovic, Nadal in quarters as Italian Open prepares for fans
ROME: World No.1 Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal welcomed the decision to allow a limited number of fans to watch the Italian Open as the top men’s seeds advanced to the quarter-finals on Friday.
Italy’s government has said that 1,000 spectators can be present at the Foro Italico from Sunday’s semi-finals, with matches so far being played in empty courts.
Nadal swept past Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-3 in his third round match, while Djokovic battled past fellow Serb Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.
Djokovic next plays German qualifier Dominik Koepfer who ended the run of Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-0.
World No.2 Nadal takes on Argentine eighth seed Diego Schwartzman, who dropped a set before recovering to see off Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Nadal, 34, won his first Rome title back in 2005, and is bidding for a third consecutive crown on clay in the Italian capital and 10th in total. Top women’s seed Simona Halep and defending champion Karolina Pliskova also eased into the quarter-finals, along with two-time Rome winner Elina Svitolina.
Halep rallied from 0-3 down in the first set to see off Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in a 7-5, 6-4 victory in 88 minutes.
The two-time Rome finalist next meets Yulia Putintseva, who came back from 6-4, 5-2 down to dispatch fellow Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the 10th seed, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Svitolina got past two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. She next plays Czech 12th seed Marketa Vondrousova who battled past Slovenian Polona Hercog 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).
World No.4 Pliskova dominated 65th-ranked Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-3 in their third round match.
The 22-year-old Russian was unable to build on her advantage against the former world No.1, who next meets 11th seed Elise Mertens after she got past Danta Kovinic 6-4, 6-4.
Ninth seed Garbine Muguruza advanced to her sixth quarter-final this year with a straight-sets win over last year’s Rome finalist Johanna Konta.
Both players hit 15 winners each but Briton Konta paid for 22 unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 13. Muguruza prevailed 6-4, 6-1 against seventh-seeded Konta to reach the last eight in Rome for the third time.
The former French Open winner will next face US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka who advanced after Russian Daria Kasatkina retired injured in their first set tiebreak.
Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2020
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