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Roger Federer plays Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic will face Juan Martin del Potro as part of the quarterfinal schedule on Friday at Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The case is completed by a 100% Spanish affair between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco and Kei Nishikori at the equivalent of Diego Schwartzman.
The third seed, Federer, and the eighth seed, the Tsitsipas, face off for the third time this year. They are even in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry at 1-1, with Tsitsipas dominating the Australian Open and Federer beating the Greek to win his 100th singles title at the Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai. The Swiss star went to great lengths to win two matches on Thursday and earn two points to defeat Borna Coric in a decisive game in the third set.
Tsitsipas continues to participate in the biggest world events. He has more victories (29) on the ATP circuit this season than any other player and has reached at least the quarter-finals in eight of his 13 races this year. But the Greek knows he will have to find an even higher level if he wants to beat Federer on Friday.
"He is considered the legend of our sport. He is very respected. I'm sure it will be twice as difficult as today, "said Tsitsipas. "I think that with my fighting spirit and my mentality, if I'm in the zone tomorrow, I think I can do something."
The world number 1, Djokovic, leads his rivalry between FedEx ATP Head2Head and Del Potro 15-4. He has won his last five games and three previous matches on clay. Until now, the Serb has been ruthless in Rome, playing only seven games in his first two rounds. He will seek to continue his model of fighting against the best in the world. Djokovic is 18-1 against the top 10 players since Wimbledon 2018.
Del Potro is again operational this week, recording his first two wins since February as he continues his return from a fractured right kneecap, contracted last October at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Argentina is looking to win its eleventh win in a semifinal of the world's No. 1 Masters 1000 and on clay in seven years.
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Rafa Rolling In Rome: Nadal wins two unbalanced victories in one day
Nadal, seeded second, leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Verdasco 16-3, but the duo have shared their last six games. The defending champion showed he was ready for a ninth crown in Rome by playing only two games in his two wins on Thursday. Nadal spent less than half of the time on the field Verdasco did to reach the last eight (2:09 vs. 4:58). But as always, Nadal will enter his last match with a blank slate and the belief that he will need to produce his best tennis.
"He is always hard. He's a great player, "said Nadal. "It's a very dangerous player for everyone when he plays well and has an excellent tennis career."
Who will win the last @ FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between these players?# ibi19
– ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) May 17, 2019
Nishikori and Schwartzman will go to the rostrum for their quarterfinal showdown. The Japanese star leads his rival FedEx ATP Head2Head 3-0, but Schwartzman has taken a set in all his matches. Nishikori is looking to reach his second semi-final in Rome and Schwartzman is looking for his first semifinal in the 1,000-single Masters.
ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY MAY 17, 2019
CENTRAL beginning 12:00
WTA Match
Not before 14:30
ATP – Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Not before 16:00
ATP – [8] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [3] Roger Federer (SUI)
Not before 19:30
WTA Match
Not before 9:00 pm
ATP – [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [7] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
GRANDSTAND starts at 11am
ATP – [6] Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Michael Venus (NZL) against Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG)
Not before 13:30
ATP – Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs [6] Kei Nishikori (JPN)
WTA Match
PIETRANGELI starts at 11:00
WTA Match
Not before 14:30
WTA Match
ATP – [3] Juan Sebastian Cabal (RAC) / Robert Farah (COL) vs [7] Bob Bryan (United States) / Mike Bryan (United States)
COURT 1 not start before 15:00
ATP – Court & Time TBA – Diego Schwartzman (ARG) / Guido Pella (ARG) vs [8] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS)
ATP – Short & TBA – [1] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) vs. Guido Pella (ARG) / Diego Schwartzman (ARG) or [8] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS)
COURSE 2 departure 12:00
Two WTA matches
Not before 16:00
ATP – Court & Time to be determined – [5] Oliver Marach (AUT) / Mate Pavic (CRO) against Denis Shapovalov (CAN) / Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
ATP – Short & TBA – [5] Oliver Marach (AUT) / Mate Pavic (CRO) or Denis Shapovalov (CAN) / Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs. Kyle Edmund (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR)
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