Russia’s Daniil Medvedev continued to make his case as a contender for the French Open after beating Holger Rune in the final of the Italian Open.
It was the first time since 2004, that the Italian Open final took place without either Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic contesting.
The World no3 used all his experience at crucial moments to notch a 7-5, 7-5 win over the Dane.
With his 5th title of the season, he will also become the new world no2 when the rankings are updated.
The tie appeared evenly poised until the 12th game of the first set when Medvedev broke Rune to take the lead.
The Dane fought back to break Medvedev in the very first game of the second stanza only to surrender his advantage later in the set. Medvedev used his serve to manoeuvre his way out of two tight holds before breaking the 20-year-old to seal the win.
With his first Italian Open title in the bag, Daniil Medvedev will set his sights on the much bigger prize at Rolland Garros. With the defending champion Rafael Nadal out of the picture due to injury and last year’s Italian Open winner Novak Djokovic looking rusty still, the opportunity is ripe for the Russian to add to his only grand slam.
