On Saturday, at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Holger Rune showed an impressive comeback performance against Casper Ruud, moving closer to his second ATP Masters 1000 title. Despite initially trailing in the second set, the Danish player fought back with resilience to defeat Ruud, the fourth seed, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2, marking his 27th win of the season. Meanwhile, the harsh weather in Rome didn’t hinder the progress of Daniil Medvedev, who made another significant breakthrough on clay. Medvedev beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-5 to reach the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
On his debut at the Rome tournament, Holger Rune showed his talent by beating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, scoring an outstanding victory. He continued to impress in his match against Casper Ruud, putting in a clean and powerful performance. The match was full of excitement as both players showed off their speed and versatility, constantly challenging each other. The first set, which was very tight, ended up being decided in a tie-break, with Ruud gaining the upper hand through better return depth.
Initially trailing 4-2 in the second set, Ruud looked to be on course to secure his second Masters 1000 final appearance. However, Rune refused to give in. He showed a more aggressive approach, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Ruud’s short balls and winning four games in a row to level the set. In the decisive third set, Rune showed strength in his serve, managing to prevent Ruud from winning any break points. This impressive display allowed him to progress to the next round.
Despite being interrupted by rain twice during the match in Rome, Daniil Medvedev showed remarkable consistency, maintaining a high level of play throughout. The match started at 16:25 local time and finished more than five hours later. Remarkably, Medvedev showed no significant changes in his performance.
He took all four break point opportunities he had, extending his lead in the ATP Head2Head series against Stefanos Tsitsipas to 8-4. Medvedev’s powerful and precise returns on the wet clay surface were key to him securing crucial breaks in the 11th game of both sets. With a calm demeanour, the 19-time circuit champion held his serve on both occasions, winning his tour-leading 38th victory of the season.