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Patna : World No 2 in ATP rankings and eight time champion Rafael Nadal, 32, reached the final of Italian Open on May 18, 2019, defeating World No 7 Setefanos Tsitsipas, 20, Greece, in straights in the semi-finals avenging his semi-finals loss to the Greek in Madrid Open on May 11, 2019. Bidding for his 9th Italian Open title, Nadal beat Tsitsipas in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in 1hr 42 minutes at Foro Italico, Rome, Italy, to enter the final.
Defending Champion Nadal, the 2nd seed, broke Tsitsipas’ service twice in the match, one each in both the sets besides winning 3 games in a row. Nadal won 44 service points to 34 by Tsitsipas, the 8th seed. Nadal’s winning percentage on his second serve (83%) was far superior than that of Tsitsipas (53 %). But, Tsitsipas’ winning percentage on his first serve (75%) was slightly better that that of Nadal (71%). Tsitsipas fired 7 Acdes in the match to just 1 by Nadal. Nadal, who lost just 6 games in his first three matches, lost 7 games in the semi-finals alone. Nadal now leads Tsitsipas 4-1 head to head.
Tsitsipas had lost to World No 1 Novak Djokovic in the final of Madrid Open on May 12, 2019.