Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, feat against world No. 1s

Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori’s feat as they clinched the semifinals of the men’s doubles tournament at the Internazionali d’Italia. The Azzurri, the seventh seed in the draw, overcame the number one seeded pair formed by Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Britain’s Henry Patten in two sets, imposing themselves with a score of 7-5 7-6(4) after an hour and 48 minutes of intense play. In the penultimate act they will face the winning pair of the challenge between Christian Harrison/Neal Skupski and Mate Pavic/Marcelo Arevalo.

The first set was characterized by great balance, with the service turnovers dominated until the 11th game and very few opportunities in response. The turning point came right at the decisive moment: Bolelli and Vavassori got three consecutive break points and on the third managed to break their opponents’ serve, going up 6-5. Called to serve for the set, the Italians found themselves down 0-30 but reacted by stringing four points in a row and closing the partial 7-5 after 43 minutes.

The second set also opened under the banner of balance. The Azzurri came close to a break right away, missing it at the deciding point, but in the third game they still managed to place the stretch that made it 3-1. Heliovaara and Patten, however, react immediately and find the counterbreak in the sixth game bringing the match back to a tie.

In the twelfth game Bolelli and Vavassori cancel a delicate set point and drag the partial to the tie-break. Here the Italians shift gears: immediate minibreak, 3-0 lead and then further stretch to 5-1. With five consecutive match points at their disposal, the Italian pair closed on the fourth attempt, imposing themselves 7-4 in the tie-break after 65 minutes of battle in the second set.