Rome - 05/14

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Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000 and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Thursday, May 14, in Rome it's 08:30 and 13 degrees. Ok, let's go.

On the menu today

• 🇮🇹 Darderi wins late at night against Jodar amid smoke and delays, reaches the semifinal
• 🇳🇴 Ruud edges Khachanov in the third after a two-hour rain delay
• 🇵🇱 Swiatek crushes Pegula and books a spot in the Rome semifinal
• 🇺🇦 Svitolina comes back to beat Rybakina and stops the world number two
• 🇮🇹 Sinner-Rublev opens play on Centrale at 13:00

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇮🇹 Darderi Into The Semifinal After 2 AM

Luciano Darderi beat Rafael Jodar 7-6(5) 5-7 6-0 on the BNP Paribas Arena, closing the match after 2 AM local time. The match was suspended for nearly twenty minutes at the end of the first set because of smoke from the fireworks in the adjacent stadium, where Inter had just won the Coppa Italia: the smoke disrupted both visibility and the electronic line-calling system, forcing the officials to stop play. More than the score, it's the emotional sequence that stands out — the tiebreak won after a substantially even set, the second lost on serve, and then a third ending 6-0 that says something about the toll the late hours took on Jodar, the younger player on his first real long trip at this level. For Darderi it's the first Masters 1000 semifinal of his career, and it comes two days after the four match points saved against Zverev.

🇳🇴 Ruud Holds Off Khachanov And The Rain

Casper Ruud beat Karen Khachanov 6-1 1-6 6-2 in a match interrupted for more than two hours by rain between the second and third sets. The Norwegian had wrapped up the first set in just over thirty minutes before suffering an emotional counter-break in the second, where Khachanov found depth he hadn't shown in the first set. The long pause leveled the two players, and in the third Ruud restarted with the baseline solidity that has always given him an edge in Rome. He'll face Darderi in the semifinal: one of those matchups where each player's clay-court form over the past weeks will only be a partial indicator, given how different their paths into this point have been.

🇵🇱 Swiatek Dominates Pegula In 68 Minutes

Iga Swiatek beat Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-2 in an hour and eight minutes on the Centrale, controlling the match from the very first return and delivering one of the cleanest afternoons of her week in Rome. Pegula was never able to extend the rallies as much as she would have needed to push Swiatek off her own territory, and after the break in the first game of the second set the match shifted onto a plane where the margin had become too wide. It's the kind of win that, given Swiatek's struggles on clay over the past few weeks, reopens some questions ahead of Roland Garros, even though the Polish player tends to be careful not to let herself get labeled while the tournament is still in progress. Today she'll face the winner of Svitolina-Rybakina, which is Svitolina.

🇺🇦 Svitolina Stops Rybakina And Makes The Semifinal

Elina Svitolina came back to beat Elena Rybakina 2-6 6-4 6-4, claiming a semifinal that, given how the tournament was developing, seemed destined for the Kazakh, on a positive run and with a serve that looked to have rediscovered its grass-court levels. After a first set in which Rybakina dictated tempo and depth, Svitolina began stepping in further on the second serves, forcing her opponent into less comfortable tennis. The sense, given the curve of the match, is that the difference was made by Svitolina's ability to stay inside the rallies longer in the long games, where Rybakina's fatigue gradually became apparent. For her it's the first 1000 semifinal since her return, and today she'll face Swiatek.

WHAT HAPPENS TODAY:

• 🇮🇹 Sinner vs Rublev - ATP quarterfinal on Centrale, 13:00. Sinner arrives with a 31-match winning streak in Masters 1000 events to defend, Rublev came back to beat Basilashvili in the previous round and has a history in Rome of winning matches on the Foro courts in the least expected moments.
• 🇺🇸 Gauff vs Cirstea - WTA semifinal on Centrale, to follow. Gauff is coming off her marathon with Andreeva, Cirstea is having an outsider's tournament and has already taken out players the statistics wouldn't have given her credit against.
• 🇪🇸 Landaluce vs Medvedev - ATP quarterfinal on Centrale, not before 19:00. For Landaluce it's the first Masters 1000 quarterfinal of his career, Medvedev is slowly rediscovering his feel on clay and against Tirante he showed a version closer to his standard.
• 🇵🇱 Swiatek vs Svitolina - WTA semifinal on Centrale, not before 20:30. Two players who are growing round after round in Rome: a matchup in which Swiatek's aggression on the early shots will meet Svitolina's ability to keep the points long.

Read more

• Ruud into the semifinal at the 2026 Rome Internationals: Khachanov out in three sets
• Elina Svitolina joins Iga Swiatek in the Rome semifinal: Rybakina and Pegula defeated
• ATP/WTA Rome, Thursday May 14 schedule: Sinner-Rublev at 13:00
• Smoke and coffee fire up Darderi for after-midnight win at Italian Open quarterfinals
• Rome Internationals, Thursday May 14 schedule: Sinner challenges Rublev for a semifinal spot
• Swiatek steamrolls Pegula in straight sets to reach Italian Open semifinals

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast