Chilean Nicolas Jarry reached his first Masters 1000 level final at the Italian Open against American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 on Friday to set up the showdown with Germany's Alexander Zverev who outclassed another Chilean, Alejandro Tabilo, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Seeded 21st, Jarry needed two hours and 44 minutes to dispatch the 14th seed, including a trying second set where he was made to work and lost the tiebreak after committing 24 unforced errors in a single set.  

In the decider, Jarry refused to hand a win to the birthday boy who was turning 27, but gave himself a lifeline breaking to lead 4-2 when he returned a backhand deep, which Paul wasn't able to recover from to concede the match despite forcing five match points.

"I was pleased with how I came back with my aggressive tennis in the third set. To finish the match is never easy, but I made it through and it's an amazing feeling," said Jarry, who became the first Chilean since Fernando Gonzalez in 2007 to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final.

Earlier on Friday, Zverev came back from one set down against Tabilo, the dark horse who stunned world No.1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the third round, to reach the first final across all his campaigns this season.

Making his debut in a Masters 1000 level semi-final, world No. 32 Tabilo broke Zverev twice winning five games in a row in the opening set. But the 2017 Rome champion fought his way back into the game after the Chilean broke him again in the second, holding all the rest of his serves in the match and winning a second-set tiebreak he forced, to reach his third final at Rome. 

"I was just hanging on in the second set. I brought my energy up. I was really just hanging on and waiting and the patience was kind of good today," said Zverev.

"He hit me off the court in the first set and I did not play well at all, but he was a big reason why. He gave me no rhythm and I am happy I turned it around in the tiebreak and ran away in the third set."