By Chris Oddo | Saturday May 20, 2017
Novak Djokovic rolled past Dominic Thiem in straight sets to book a spot in his 8th Internazionali BNL d'Italia final.
Photo Source: Michael Steele/Getty
Novak Djokovic had never lost a semifinal at Rome prior to Saturday, and nothing has changed in that regard. The Serb put forth an inspired effort to roll past Dominic Thiem in Saturday’s second semifinal to make it a perfect 8-0 in Internazionali BNL d’Italia semifinals.
More: Djokovic Downs Del Potro in First of Two at Rome
Djokovic, who came into this tournament surrounded by a cloud of doubt about his performance on the clay this season, has sent doubters fleeing with a run of near-perfect tennis at the Foro Italico.
A trio of wins over Roberto Bautista Agut, Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem have raised eyebrows around the Foro Italico. Could this be the moment that Djokovic puts his months-long metaphysical struggle behind him and proceeds to make a run at the top of the ATP rankings and more major titles?
His form says yes, but there remains much to prove for the Serb, who has yet to win a clay title this year. He’ll move on to face 20-year-old Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday. He will meet the rapidly rising German for the first time with another chance to beat back the competition from generation next.
On Saturday he foiled the plans of Thiem with a dominant effort that saw him roll out to dominant leads in both sets. He led 5-0 in the opener before Thiem responded with his only hold of the set.
There was very little the Austrian could do to derail Djokovic's momentum. On Friday the 23-year-old bossed around a more passive Rafael Nadal, who routinely rallied with him from five or more meters behind the baseline. On Saturday he dealt with a Djokovic that was on the attack from moment one. The Serb hugged the baseline, intent to take time away from Thiem whenever he could.
It was a sign that Theim, who has come a long way and can certainly be considered as one of the players with a shot to go deep at Roland Garros, still has weaknesses to work on.
For Djokovic, it was a reminder that there are few who are better on any surface, red clay or no.
After falling behind 6-1, 3-0, Thiem would earn his first break points of the match, but those opportunities were quickly snuffed out by a Djokovic that is playing with a reinvigorated sense of urgency this week in Rome.
Djokovic broke again for 5-0 and a backhand down-the-line winner gave him his first match point a few moments later. It would be all he needed. He locked up victory on the next point as Thiem's return faded into the net.