Tennis: Daniil Medvedev sees off Holger Rune to win Italian Open
Daniil Medvedev scooped his long-awaited first clay-court title on the ATP Tour with a straight-sets win over Danish protege Holger Rune in the Italian Open final.
The Russian triumphed 7-5 7-5 on the back of another lengthy rain delay to win his sixth Masters 1000 title, taking one hour and 42 minutes to get the job done.
Rune – who struggled for consistency on his first serves all afternoon – held out for 11 games in the first set before Medvedev broke to avoid a tense tie-breaker, but the Dane responded with a break to love in the opening game of the second.
The pair traded another two breaks each before Rune had the chance to serve for the set at 5-4, but a couple of unforced errors gave Medvedev a route back into the set, and the ruthless Russian embarked on a three-game winning streak to stave off his opponent’s late fightback.
Medvedev admitted relief at ending his clay hoodoo on the court, having previously believed that he would never win an ATP 1000 crown on the surface, saying on the court: “I always want to believe in myself and I always want to win the biggest tournaments in the world.
“But at the same time, I didn’t think I could win a Masters 1000 on clay in my career because usually I hated it, I hated playing on it. I didn’t feel good on it and nothing was working. I am really happy I managed to do it and to prove to myself and everyone else that I am capable of doing it.”
Prior to Medvedev’s success, Elena Rybakina clinched glory in the women’s singles final late on Saturday night as Anhelina Kalinina retired injured at the start of the second set.
