21.09.2020
07:08
The Argentine is going for a victory against the number one in the world to win for the first time with a title in this category and reach the Top Ten of the ranking. From 12
September 21, 2020 Share on FacebookShare Share on TwitterTweet Share on WhatsAppShare
Diego Schwartzman will face Novak Djokovic in the most important final of his career (Shutterstock)
The big day arrived for Diego Schwartzman. This Monday, starting at 12 noon (Argentina time), Peque will face Serbian Novak Djokovic in the final of the Masters 1000 in Rome. After a dream week, which included a resounding victory in the quarterfinals against Rafael Nadal, the Villa Crespo native is going for the best consecration of his career and for entering the Top Ten of the ATP rankings.
The meeting will be played in the central court of the Italic forum, it will be broadcast by the ESPN signal and the winner of the event will take 205,220 euros (USD 243,048), almost 79% less than in 2019 due to the cuts that were made in the figures from the coronavirus pandemic,
Schwartzman, current number 15 in the ranking, comes to this match after beating Canadian Denis Shapovalov (14th) in the semifinals. In a high-flying game that was just defined in the tie break of the third set, the Argentine won the victory that deposited him in the first Masters 1000 final of his career.
This will also be the second final of the year for Peque , who in February fell to Chilean Cristian Garín in the decisive match of the ATP in Córdoba. If he wins against the Serbian, he will reach position nine in the ranking and achieve his best historical ranking, after having been 11th in 2018.
If he wins, the Argentine will enter the Top Ten for the first time (REUTERS // Clive Brunskill)
In front he will have nothing more and nothing less than the number one in the world, who has fearsome numbers this season since he has won all the games he has completed. His only loss came in the fourth round of the US Open, when he was disqualified against Spanish Pablo Carreño Busta for accidentally hitting a linesman with a ball. Djokovic qualified for his tenth Roman final by beating Norwegian Casper Ruud (7-5, 6-3) in the semifinals.
Beyond the title itself, Nole has another great goal on this day: to become the player with the most Masters 1000 tournaments won in history. So far, he adds 35, the same amount as the Spanish Rafael Nadal.
This will be the fifth time that Schwartzman and Djokovic will meet on the ATP circuit. The Serbian won the four previous matches (US Open 2014, Roland Garros 2017, Rome 2019 and Australian Open 2020). Will the fifth be the charm for Peque?
