Holger Rune halts Medvedev's run, storms into Indian Wells final

Holger Rune defeated Daniil Medvedev to advance to the Indian Wells final, marking his fourth Masters 1000 final. The Dane prevailed 7-5, 6-4 and is now on the verge of returning to the top 10 (No. 11 in the live rankings). He’ll await the winner between Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz.

The 21-year-old levelled his head-to-head with Medvedev and avenged his 2024 Indian Wells elimination. As for the Russian, he failed to defend the final reached in the last two editions and is set to drop to world No. 7 for now.

First Set Both players started strong on serve, holding comfortably until 2-2. Rune was the first to break, gaining the upper hand, but his lead was short-lived as Medvedev broke straight back.

The former world No. 1 struggled with his first serve, landing only 51% and winning 63% of those points. Rune, on the other hand, had a 70% first-serve rate, also winning 63% of those points. The set remained tight until 5-5, with no further breaks.

Rune survived a gruelling 18-point game, saving a break point and growing in confidence. A crucial break in the 11th game sealed the set for the Dane, 7-5.

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Second Set The second set saw both players holding serve early on, but once again Rune proved more effective on return. Medvedev’s second serve became a liability, and Rune snatched a dominant love game after a streak of 13 consecutive points, surging ahead 3-1.

Rune held firm on serve and imposed his authority in the rallies, playing closer to the baseline while Medvedev retreated deep behind the court. The Russian tried to mix things up with serve-and-volley tactics, winning 80% of points at the net.

Nevertheless, there were no further breaks. Leading 5-4, Rune faced tense moments when he fell 0-30 down, but the Dane held his nerve, relying on his first serve to close out a remarkable straight-sets victory, 7-5, 6-4.

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