Holger Rune rallies for victory over Casper Ruud to make Italian Open final
Holger Rune came from a set down to defeat Casper Ruud and secure his place in the final of the Italian Open.
After a tight opening set didn’t go his way, Rune recovered for a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 win over the fourth seed in two hours and 41 minutes.
The victory marked Rune’s 27th win of the season, which has seen him make the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters and win the Bavarian Open, and extend this season’s record on clay to 13-2 which bodes well considering the French Open gets underway in a weeks time.
‘’I had nothing to lose in the second [set], so I just told myself to play freely and enjoy it as I thought it would be my last set here," Rune said during his on-court interview.
"I told myself to play aggressively and enjoy it and I did it and that was the key to comeback.’’
Read More
Rune’s run to the final has been anything but easy, with the Dane taking down world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter final.
‘’Yeah, it's crazy," he continued.
"I really played some of my best tennis in, you know, a period of the matches, especially the last two matches, first against Novak and then against Casper.
"They are two so difficult players to play so I had to find my best tennis. You know, I actually didn't find it today, only at the end, and that was why I turned it around."
Rune will face Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in his semi-final match, in the final on Sunday.
Please follow Tennisbuzz on Twitter and Instagram, and you can like us on Facebook by clicking here.
For more exclusive content from Tennisbuzz, including news, features, trivia, promotions and more, please be sure to bookmark our home page.
