Italian Open 2022: Tsitsipas books first finals berth; lauds 'historically rich' Rome event

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to book his first finals berth at the Italian Open.

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Germany's Alexander Zverev in yet another gripping chapter in their clay-court 2022 rivalry at the Italian Open. The fourth seed ran out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in the semi-finals in Rome.

In the third clay-court ATP Masters 1000 semi-final between the two this year, Tsitsipas made a comeback after losing a hard-fought opening set to reach the final of the Rome Masters for the first time in his career.

The Greek was strong on serve throughout against Zverev and stayed consistent from the baseline to halt Zverev's early momentum in a fascinating two-hour, 29-minute win.

"It's one of the tournaments that has the most history in our sport. You can see walking around the sides... one of the most beautiful stadiums... So there is a lot of history playing in this court. You feel very proud that you've made your way here and are able to participate in such a historically rich event," Tsitsipas said following this win.

The win extends the Greek's ATP Head2Head series lead over the German to 8-4. Tsitsipas will play for a third Masters 1000 title in Sunday's championship match, where his opponent will be World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or fifth seed Casper Ruud.

Tsitsipas fans took to Twitter to express their joy over the Greek's win, with several anticipating a blockbuster clash against Djokovic. Here's a look at some of the reactions: