Djokovic battles past Ruud to reach Italian Open final

[ASFN Admin]

Novak Djokovic was made to work hard by Casper Ruud in blustery conditions before the world number one got past the unseeded Norwegian 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach the Italian Open final. The Serbian had to save two set points in the first set before finding his groove to reach his 10th title clash in Rome and remain on course to win his 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown and overtake Rafa Nadal on the all-time list. Defending Rome champion Nadal crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals on Saturday after a straight-sets defeat by Diego Schwartzman.

Continue reading...