Holger Rune has battled from a set and break right down to seal a 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-2 win over world No.4 Casper Ruud in an absorbing all-Scandinavian Italian Open semi-final.
French and US Open runner-up Ruud took a decent first set on the again of twenty-two winners on Saturday, together with 11 on his forehand, and appeared properly on target for a spot within the last after grabbing the primary break of the match within the second set for a 4-2 lead.
“I told myself at this moment I had nothing to lose, he’s probably going to win the match,” Denmark’s Rune stated.
“So I told myself to play free and enjoy myself as it would probably be my last set here.”
Rune took a medical timeout for a minor shoulder downside and that appeared to throw Estoril champion Ruud off his sport because the 24-year-old Norwegian surrendered his serve twice to get dragged right into a deciding set.
A double-fault gifted Rune a break and a 3-1 lead within the last set and the 20-year-old by no means appeared again as he sealed a primary victory over Ruud in 5 conferences.
“I really played some of my best tennis,” stated Rune, who beat world primary Novak Djokovic within the quarter-finals.
“Especially in the matches against Novak and Casper. Such difficult players to play against. I had to find my best tennis and I actually didn’t find it today until the end. That’s why I turned it around.”
The second semi-final between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev began later after a brief rain delay.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
