May 13 : Home favourite Luciano Darderi battled past Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6(5) 5-7 6-0 in a three-hour epic that stretched into the early hours of Thursday to reach the Italian Open semi-finals and extend the best Masters 1000 run of his career.Fresh from a statement victory over second seed Alexan

Three-time champion Iga Swiatek beat Jessica Pegula of the United States in straight sets on Wednesday to advance to the Italian Open semifinals. The fourth-ranked Swiatek needed just 67 minutes to sweep aside No. 5 Pegula 6-1, 6-2. Swiatek’s impressive form bodes well for the upcoming French Open, which she…