In the heat of the moment, almost anything can happen on a tennis court. Just ask Novak Djokovic.

During the third set of his semi-final win at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Saturday, Djokovic lost a hard-fought rally against Kei Nishikori to put himself break point down against the Japanese star. The World No. 1 was about to start his pre-serve routine when chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani told him to look down at his racquet – Djokovic was about to attempt to save a break point with a broken string.

“It’s a very unusual occurrence, but sometimes, due to crowd noise, the player does not realise that his strings are broken,” ATP Supervisor Lars Graff, a former Gold Badge chair umpire, said. “It is then the duty of the chair umpire to inform the player. The rules are very clear that a player cannot start a point with broken strings.”

After his initial confusion cleared, Djokovic cracked a smile and walked to his bag to pick up a new frame. He would go on to save that break point and win the match in a third-set tie-break.

Kei Nishikori has raced to a 6-2 lead against top seed Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Japanese capitalised on both break points earned and struck 10 winners.

How do you beat Djokovic? Taking away his movement goes a long way. The Serb, who received a medical timeout for a cut on his left ankle after the first game, was on the back foot from the start. Nishikori turned in an exhibition in agility, taking the initiative from the back of the court and tracking down everything Djokovic fired his way. Taking advantage of the World No. 1’s compromised movement, the Japanese provided a heavy dose of drop shots. A forehand drop shot winner would give him a break for 2-1 and a rifled backhand down-the-line saw him secure a double break for 5-2. He closed out the set after 43 minutes.

One week removed from a semi-final encounter on the clay of Madrid, won by Djokovic, Nishikori snapped the Serb’s streak of 10 consecutive sets won in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. The sixth seed is bidding to reach a third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and second this year, having fallen to Djokovic in the Miami title match in March.

Four-time Rome champion Djokovic, meanwhile, is eyeing a 42nd final at the Masters 1000 level. He took sole possession of the all-time title lead with a 29th crown in Madrid.

It’s not uncommon for doubles specialists to stay on tour well into their 30s, but Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo is still playing –and winning– singles matches at age 38.

The veteran reached his first ATP Challenger Tour final in three years at this week’s $50,000 event in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Ramirez Hidalgo broke new ground with his inspired performance by becoming the oldest singles finalist in ATP Challenger Tour history at 38 years, four months (surpassing the record held since 2009 by Dick Norman at 38 years, 1 month). The championship match against 19-year-old #NextGen star Karen Khachanov, which he lost in three sets, was also the largest age gap in a final this year.

Making the feat even more impressive is that a backlog of matches due to rain forced Ramirez Hidalgo to play four singles matches in two days. Despite this, he continued to grind down with his superior fitness, outlasting 21-year-old Ramkumar Ramanathan in a marathon semi-final on Friday that finished with the Spaniard blanking the Indian in a third-set tie-break.

Even though he’s now well into his 18^th year on tour, Ramirez Hidalgo said he’s still as eager as ever to win.

“I’m playing in Samarkand with the same enthusiasm as if I was playing the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome,” said Ramirez Hidalgo. “I still love to play and compete, so if I can’t do it in Rome, I’ll look to do it wherever I can. I’m fortunate to still be able to pursue the game that has always been my first love.”

The Spaniard is also closing in on another record this year. He is just nine match wins away from becoming the first player to win 400 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“To reach that number would mean that I spent many years of my life playing the sport I love and can take many good moments that will remain with me,” said Ramirez Hidalgo. “I don’t know if they’ll remain in the memory of the fans, but they will definitely remain in mine.”

Ramirez Hidalgo is still able to produce consistent results on the ATP Challenger Tour. He reached the semi-finals of the $50,000 event this January in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and posted quarter-final showings at three other events. He’s also still showing the new generation of upcoming players that age has little to do with ability; at last month’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Nanjing, China, Ramirez Hidalgo handily defeated #NextGen star Yoshihito Nishioka in the opening round.

Although he acknowledges that he’s in the latter stages of his career, the Spaniard is determined to make his pro career last for as long as it possibly can.

“At 38, I’m trying to enjoy my last matches because I’m aware that my career has an end and that my end is getting closer every time,” said Ramirez Hidalgo. “People ask me why I still keep doing this at my age and it’s simply because I love what I do. Every match is still enjoyable, just like when I was a kid.”

When he decides to stop playing, he’ll have plenty to keep occupied between the academy he runs with former ATP World Tour pro Santiago Ventura in Alicante, Spain, and his two daughters that he raises with his wife, Christina. Perhaps most importantly, though, he’ll be able to walk away without any regrets.

“Tennis has given me more than I could have ever imagined,” said Ramirez Hidalgo.. I’m able to say that I was able to travel the world and play every major tournament I watched on television when I was growing up. I had the chance to live what I dreamed about as a child.”

Fifth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan completed a 6-7(5), 6-2, 10-7 victory over French duo Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the semi-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The American twins claimed the victory on their second match point at 1:06am in Rome, after Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori sent the doubles affair deep into the night with a three-hour singles semi-final to open the evening session. The Bryans will appear in their seventh final at the Foro Italico, having lifted the trophy in 2008 (d. Nestor/Zimonjic), 2010 (d. Isner/Querrey) and 2013 (d. Bhupathi/Bopanna). They own a 35-18 record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals and will bid for their third tour-level crown overall in 2016 (Houston, Barcelona).

Earlier on Saturday, Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock reached their second Masters 1000 final of the season as they defeated Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna 7-6(4), 7-6(2), setting a sixth meeting against the Bryans. They own a 3-2 lead in the FedEx ATP Head2Head series, most recently taking a quarter-final battle at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

“It was a high-level match today,” said Pospisil. “We executed well and returned well in the tie-breaks and on the big points and that’s what got us through. Overall it was a solid performance in all aspects. We are playing better and gaining confidence with every match. We have one more to go to get the title, so we’ll go out there tomorrow and fight for it.” 

The Canadian/American duo rallied from an early break down in the first set to clinch the opener in a tie-break. They failed to convert match point when serving at 5-3 in the second set, but regrouped to prevail in another tie-break after 85 minutes.

Pospisil and Sock were runners-up at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (l. to Herbert/Mahut) in March. The 2014 Wimbledon champions are chasing their fifth tour-level title together and first since Beijing in October 2015.

Andy Murray is through to the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the first time after dismissing Lucas Pouille 6-2, 6-1 on a rainy day in Rome on Saturday.

In Sunday’s final on his 29th birthday, Murray will face either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori, who contest the second semi-final this evening.

“I don’t remember winning any matches, really, on my birthday which isn’t a great sign,” joked Murray. “Hopefully tomorrow that will change.”

Murray has now reached the final of eight of the nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000s, with Monte-Carlo (where he has reached the semi-finals three times) the only exception. The right-hander will look to lift his 12^th Masters 1000 trophy and first since August 2015, when he won in Montreal (d. Djokovic).

“I think I have made some improvements in my game [in the past year],” said Murray. “Last year I was winning a lot of matches at this time of the year, but I do think I’m playing better tennis this year. I think my serve has been a big improvement for me.

“That’s why in matches like today, Lucas had no opportunities on my serve. I had a few matches like that over the past few weeks, and that hasn’t always been the case.

“To get like a win in the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 losing five points on serve is the first time that’s happened in my career, and that’s been the most pleasing thing for me.”

Rain delayed the start of the semi-final action in Rome, with the match beginning at the revised time of shortly after 3pm. Murray made the stronger start, breaking for a 3-1 lead with a forehand winner after chasing down a Pouille drop shot.

A heavy but brief rain shower caused a 13-minute delay with Murray serving at 4-2, 40/0. At the resumption, the Scot swiftly claimed a 5-2 lead. He then broke Pouille for a second time to clinch the opener, converting his third set point as Pouille hit his forehand long.

Murray raced through the second set, breaking Pouille in the fourth and sixth games before claiming victory in 59 minutes.

Speaking in a post-match TV interview, Murray said, “It’s actually the first time ever since I’ve been on tour that I’ve not had chance to hit balls before we got on court. It’s pretty much rained non-stop, then they flipped the schedule around and we were on straightaway when the rain stopped. So I didn’t feel that comfortable coming out on the court. Obviously the break as well at 4-2 was tricky. He made quite a few mistakes and I served well today and made it easier for myself.”

The 28-year-old Murray is through to his fourth ATP World Tour clay-court final. The Scot won his first two titles on the dirt last year in Munich and Madrid. Last week he fell just short of retaining his Madrid crown as he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final at the Caja Magica.

The 22-year-old Pouille has been the luckiest of lucky losers this week. After falling to Mikhail Kukushkin in the final round of qualifying, the Frenchman was granted a main draw berth when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withdrew. He beat Ernests Gulbis and David Ferrer to reach the quarter-finals, where he received a walkover after Juan Monaco withdrew.

World No. 52 Pouille is the first lucky loser to reach the semi-finals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament since Thomas Johansson in Toronto in 2004. His run this week is set to see him rise to a career-high of around No. 32 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday.

“Honestly I started pretty well,” said Pouille. “Andy is a great player. He’s returning all your serves. So if you don’t have a great percentage of first serves, then it’s very tough. He’s very offensive, puts pressure on your serves. I did not make that the best match of my life, but I think today he was much better.

“I think it’s a positive week for me. Now it’s time to take some rest. It’s part of the job. I have been playing a lot for the past two months, so I’m a bit tired. I will take some rest and prepare for the French Open.”

SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: When the main draw of the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia was made, one half featured Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the first time ever on the ATP World Tour. Who would emerge from the other half? Lucky loser Lucas Pouille is one win away from following his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and semi-final with a berth in the final.

Pouille is the second lucky loser ever to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, joining Thomas Johansson in the record books. Johansson earned four main draw wins at Toronto in 2004 before falling to Federer in the semi-finals. Pouille, on the other hand, has beaten only Ernests Gulbis and David Ferrer to reach the Rome semis, capitalizing on a first-round bye when No. 7 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withdrew and a quarter-final walkover from Juan Monaco. The luckiest of lucky losers, Pouille fell to Mikhail Kukushkin in the final round of qualifying on May 8.

Madrid finalist Andy Murray did what Pouille couldn’t by beating Kukushkin in the main draw. The World No. 3 has not dropped a set all week and will return to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday. Pouille is projected to rise to around No. 32, which will be a new career-high for the 22-year-old Frenchman. Should Pouille defeat Murray in their first FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meeting, he will play Djokovic or No. 6 seed Kei Nishikori in the final for the first time as well. The last lucky loser to reach an ATP World Tour final was Marcel Granollers at Valencia in 2010.

Following Murray vs. Pouille, Djokovic and Nishikori meet in an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final for the second time in as many weeks. Djokovic was broken when he served for the match, but held on for a 63 76(4) victory at Madrid on May 7. The World No. 1 is on a seven-match win streak against Nishikori, including a quarter-final victory in Rome last season. Djokovic has also swept 16 straight matches against Top 10 players overall, saving five set points in the second set of his 75 76(4) victory over fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal on Friday.

In the first doubles semi-final, Madrid finalists Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea meet Indian Wells finalists Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock. Then, three-time Rome champions Bob and Mike Bryan take on 2014 Roland Garros champions Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.