Novak Djokovic reached the Italian Open final notching his 1000th career win in the process.
The World number one beat Casper Ruud 6-4 6-3 in Rome for a shot at the title.
Djokovic will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the title clash, with the Serbian playing in the final in Rome for the fourth straight time and 12th overall.
He now joins Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, and Rafael Nadal as the only members of the 1,000-wins club, making him just the fifth men’s player in the Open Era to accomplish the feat.
Playing under the lights, Djokovic broke Norwegian service twice to earn a commanding 4-0 lead as the top seed made a fast start.
Ruud broke Djokovic at 5-3 down but the 20-times major winner closed out the set.
In the second set, Ruud saved three break points in the seventh game before Djokovic broke for a 4-3 lead.
Earlier, world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the Rome final for the first time after the Greek rallied to defeat Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-3 6-3.
In the third claycourt Masters 1000 semi-final between the pair this season, Tsitsipas overcame Zverev as he stayed consistent from the baseline and strong on serve.
Zverev was clinical in the opening set with his first serve working to perfection.
But the German dropped a set for the first time in this year’s tournament as Tsitsipas raised his own level in the second.
Tsitsipas struck first in the decider, earning a break to lead 3-2 when Zverev sent a forehand into the net.
Tsitsipas broke the Zverev serve again to claim a comfortable victory and extend his head-to-head against Zverev 8-4.
Zverev is yet to win a title this season.
Djokovic’s upcoming clash with Tsitsipas marks the pair’s first meeting since the Serb notched a dramatic comeback victory over the 23-year-old at the 2021 Roland Garros final.
Djokovic owns a 6–2 record over Tsitsipas all time, including a 4–0 mark on clay—the same surface of the Italian Open final.
