Italian Open: Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek head to semi-finals in rain-hit Rome

ATP men’s top ranked tennis star Novak Djokovic on Saturday
proceeded to the semi finals of the Italian Open, narrowly defeating Greek Stefanos
Tsitsipas by a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 margin, reported AFP.

The match lasted about three hours and 16 minutes, after
being halted earlier on Friday due to rain in the Italian capital of Rome, as Djokovic,
though trailing 6-4, 2-1 at the beginning of the match on Saturday, managed to
clinch the victory.

In women’s singles, meanwhile, Poland’s Iga Swiatek got a
smooth 6-2, 7-5 victory over Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. Reigning French Open
champion, Swiatek took one hour and 36 minutes to get the job done.

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This match, too, was disrupted because of rain on Friday.

The next opponent for the Polish player is going to be Coco
Gauff, who won her previous match against current women’s world number one
Ashleigh Barty, with the latter retiring injured during the quarter final
match-up.

Barty, after pulling out of the match, reportedly noted that she did not want to take any chances of aggravating an already existing arm injury ahead of French Open, which is slated to start from May 30 and which she won in 2019.

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“…It’s disappointing, but it’s important that I listen to my body and give it time to rest and recover and make sure that in a couple weeks’ time we’re 100% fit for Roland Garros”, Barty was quoted by AFP as saying.

With Barty abandoning the match at 6-4, 2-1, Gauff now
approaches her first clay court semi-final.