Rune rallies past Ruud to reach final

ROME: Holger Rune battled from a set and break down to seal a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 win over World No.4 Casper Ruud in an absorbing all-Scandinavian Italian Open semi-final here on Saturday.

French and US Open runner-up Ruud took a tight first set on the back of 22 winners, including 11 on his forehand. The Norwegian looked well on course for a spot in the final after grabbing the first break of the match in the second set for a 4-2 lead.

“I told myself that I had nothing to lose at this moment, he is probably going to win the match,” Denmark’s Rune said after the end of the hard-fought semi-final. “So, I told myself to play freely and enjoy as it would probably be my last set here.”

Rune took a medical timeout for a minor shoulder problem and that looked to throw Ruud off his game as the latter surrendered his serve twice to get dragged into a deciding set.

A double-fault gifted Rune a break and a 3-1 lead in the final set and the 20-year-old never looked back as he sealed a first victory over Ruud in five meetings. “I really played some of my best tennis,” said Rune, who had got the better of World No.1 Novak Djokovic in 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 did not find it today (Saturday) until the end. That is why I turned it around,” added Rune.