Novak Djokovic played one his best matches of the season but ended up on the losing side.
Rafael Nadal moved one step closer to his 8th Italian Open win after he defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach his 10th career final in Rome. Nadal is now alos one win away from being number 1 again.
Nadal will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic.
Djokovic, seeded 11th after his elbow injury problems, has been struggling to get back to full fitness and form for the last few months. However, he played one his best matches of the season and showed shades of his brilliance on Saturday.
The meeting, an open-era record 51st been the two adversaries, was played out in typically thrilling fashion, with Djokovic putting in his best performance since returning from a long-term elbow injury.
Djokovic made the stronger start as Nadal struggled to get his first serves in early on, the Spaniard coughing up two break points in the opening game that his opponent squandered.
Inevitably, Nadal pounced a few games later, breaking Djokovic to go 4-2 up before the Serb rode his forehand to a stunning recovery. Djokovic, a four-times champion in Rome, was helped by a fortunate touch off the net cord that gave him two break points, and he converted for 5-4 in the set before holding serve again to draw level. Nadal started the tiebreak like he started the match, as a poor forehand volley handed Djokovic the initiative, but the Spaniard won the next two points on his opponent's serve to retake control.
Djokovic clawed his way back to 3-3 but cracked after an unlucky touch off the tape sent a forehand back onto his side of the net to put Nadal 6-4 up, and the Spaniard duly wrapped up the set on the Serb's serve in 71 minutes.
Nadal carried his momentum into the second set, winning 10 of 11 points in a blur of viciously swerving forehands and clubbed backhands that brought him an early break and a 2-1 lead in the decider.
Djokovic still showed an appetite to fight back, forcing Nadal to three deuces in the eighth game of the second set before the Spaniard carved out a hold. That failure ended the Serb's resistance and Nadal won in style on his opponent's serve, striking a punishing forehand down the line to claim victory.
"Playing against him is always a big challenge," Nadal said after match. "He played well, and it's always the same against him. When you go down a little bit in level, he's always there and you are in big trouble. "I needed to play aggressive with my forehand, that's when I felt I was a little more in control."
Djokovic had fought back against Kei Nishikori to earn a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win the semifinal while top seed Nadal had beaten Italy's Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Nadal had beaten Djokovic in their last meeting in May in 2017 in a Madrid semi-final too.
Nadal is working towards Roland Garros, where he will aim for an unprecedented 11th title.
(With Reuters Inputs)
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