The men’s singles final between Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia is suspended due to rain. The championship match was due to commence at 4:00 p.m. at the Foro Italico.

When they take to court in Rome, Medvedev will be playing for his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown and first on clay, while Rune will be chasing his second title at this level. Medvedev has defeated seeds Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the final. Rune, who is making his debut in Rome, earned Top 5 wins against Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud earlier this week.

Holger Rune has quickly become a Top 10 titan.

With his win against World No. 4 Casper Ruud in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals Saturday, the Dane is now 8-3 against Top 10 opponents in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings since the start of the Rolex Paris Masters six-and-a-half months ago.

The 19-year-old went 5-0 against Top 10 players during his historic Paris-Bercy run and has won his past seven matches against Top 5 opponents (7-1 overall). He has defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Ruud en route to the final in Rome, where he will face World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev for the crown.

Record vs. Top 10 (Active Players)

Rune and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz have been more than a match for the best players on the ATP Tour. Among active players, only Novak Djokovic (69%) and Rafael Nadal (64.6%) have a better winning percentage against Top 10 opposition.

Rune is now 12-9 in his young career against the Top 10, giving him a win rate of 57.1 per cent. Alcaraz is 16-9 against the elite group (64%), including 4-0 in 2023.

According to Infosys ATP Stats, only 12 players in the Open Era who have qualified with a minimum 30 matches own a winning percentage of at least 50 per cent against Top 10 opponents, and all of them have reached No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Although Alcaraz and Rune have only played a combined 44 matches against Top 10 opponents, they would be near the top of the list.

Among active players, Alcaraz and Rune own a better winning percentage against the Top 10 than Andy Murray (53%), Daniil Medvedev (49.3%), Alexander Zverev (43.8%) Stefanos Tsitsipas (41.3%), Nick Kyrgios (39.7%) and Dominic Thiem (39%).

That performance has helped them move to the top of the sport. Alcaraz is World No. 2 and Rune on Monday will ascend to a career-high World No. 6. Their rivalry will be one to watch for years to come.

Third seed Daniil Medvedev and seventh seed Holger Rune have taken contrasting paths to Sunday’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia final (4pm CET/10am ET).

A self-proclaimed “hard court specialist”, Medvedev has often spoken tongue-in-cheek about his game on clay. He arrived in Rome without having won a match in three previous appearances in the Italian capital.

Now Medvedev finds himself one victory from his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown and first on clay. A win on Sunday will lift him past Novak Djokovic to World No. 2 in Monday’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Rune, who is competing in the Rome main draw for the first time, has enjoyed a rapid breakthrough into the Top 10. The Dane, a four-time tour-level champion, reached the final on the Monte-Carlo red clay last month before capturing the Munich title.

Can the heavy-hitting Rune go one step further to capture his second ATP Masters 1000 crown? He looks to improve upon his stunning 7-1 record against Top-5 opponents, which includes wins this week over World No. 1 Djokovic in the quarter-finals and World No. 4 Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

“I play some of my best tennis when I play the top guys of the world. I mean, it’s a good time to play your best tennis because you need it against those players. I’ve managed to do it many times now,” Rune said. “I think it’s obviously some of the toughest challenges to face guys in top five because they’re obviously some of the best guys in the world. But, yeah, I play well when I play them.”

The 19-time tour-level titlist Medvedev stands in his way and has brought his wide variety to the Eternal City. His deep return position, deft drop shorts, and sublime court coverage have all been at the forefront during his clay-court breakthrough. Medvedev, who will try to claim his fifth title of the season, will look to keep Rune guessing in just their second ATP Head2Head encounter.

The seventh seed Rune defeated the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion 6-3, 6-4 at the recent Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“I said after I lost to him in Monte-Carlo, I think he’s one of top players on clay,” Medvedev said. “I think that’s the surface that suits him the most. We know he can play on other surfaces, also. He won Bercy. I think that’s, let’s say, his favourite surface. I’m feeling much better than I felt in Monte-Carlo. I had [many] more matches and much more practice. I’m going to try to play my best.”

Medvedev, 27, boasts a 38-5 record this season and enjoyed a 19-match winning streak spanning from February to March. His biggest title of this year came at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami.

Attempting to win his maiden clay-court crown, Medvedev has dropped just one set en route to his second final on the surface (2019 Barcelona). He has ousted two rivals along the way: Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom he beat 7-5, 7-5 in Saturday’s semi-final.

Can Medvedev earn a second consecutive Top-10 victory Sunday against Rune?

“[Holger] showed today that even in the toughest moments he can play amazing, beat anyone,” Medvedev said. “I’m sure it could be a great match and I’m going to try to show my best.”

Rune’s shot-making ability and squeaky clean baseline performances have troubled opponents this tournament. Rune will aim to recreate some of the magic he produced during last year’s title run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris, where he downed five Top-10 players en route to the trophy, including Djokovic in the final.

Semi-final turnaround 🎾

From 7-6 4-2 down, @holgerrune2003‘s #ShotQuality went ⬆️📈‼️

Some seriously impressive #ShotQuality 🔢’s for the last 12 games👏#TennisInsights | @atptour | @InteBNLdItalia pic.twitter.com/lGrnUSv3CF

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) May 20, 2023

The Dane is No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and would tie Tsitsipas at No. 5 by winning the title. But because Tsitsipas will win the tie-break, he will remain No. 5 and Rune No. 6.

The 20-year-old Rune will be focused on the task at hand, though. He has quickly gained support from the Italian fans and will rely on the crowd once again in hopes of claiming glory in Rome.

“I enjoy playing in Italy and Rome. It’s a great atmosphere. There’s a great energy on the court, super support. It’s a very passionate crowd. I really like it. It brings some of my best tennis,” Rune said. “I’m having a good time, so I’m super happy, excited for tomorrow.”

Did You Know?
Since the start of the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters, Rune has won 18 of 22 matches during his past ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. He went 3-6 at his first six events at that level.

Ugo Humbert and Dominik Koepfer converted their hot runs on the ATP Challenger Tour into lifting trophies at this week’s Challenger 175 events in Bordeaux and Turin.

The Frenchman Humbert dropped just one set all week en route to capturing his second consecutive Challenger 175 title in southern France. The 24-year-old defeated Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(3), 6-4 in Saturday’s final at the BNP Paribas Primrose.

In front of a packed stadium, Humbert played with aggression from the baseline, using his forehand to dictate play, while also incorporating deft drop shots for variety. The lefty was dangerous on serve all week in Bordeaux, including Saturday, when he dropped just five points off his first delivery.

When Humbert has competed at Challenger Tour events this year, he’s been a dominant force, tallying a 14-2 Challenger-match record. Earlier this month, the Metz native triumphed at the Cagliari Challenger 175 event, where he fended off two match points in his quarter-final against Taro Daniel to stay alive.

^{Ugo Humbert in action Saturday at the Bordeaux Challenger. Credit: Jared Wickerham}

Following his title on home soil, Humbert returned to the Top 40 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings for the first time since 31 January, 2022.

Etcheverry, seeded seventh, has played his best tennis this season, including a finalist finish at the ATP 250 events in Santiago and Houston. A three-time Challenger champion, the World No. 46 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings is set to surpass his career high (No. 59) on Monday.

The 23-year-old Etcheverry earned the highest-ranked win of his career in the semi-finals, when he upset top seed and World No. 28 Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-2.

In Bordeaux doubles action, top seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara cruised to the title, downing Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4, 6-2 in just one hour, two minutes.

^{Harri Heliovaara (left) and Lloyd Glasspool triumph at the BNP Paribas Primrose. Credit: Jared Wickerham}

At the Challenger 175 event in Turin, rain forced the tournament to be moved from clay to an indoor hard court for the semi-finals and final. The German Koepfer prevailed, completing double duty Saturday en route to lifting his biggest career title.

The 29-year-old upset second seed Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-2 in the last four before ousting qualifier Federico Gaio 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-0 to win the Piemonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo.

“It wasn’t easy to go from outdoor clay to fast indoor courts in just a few hours, but I’m proud of how I was able to adapt,” Koepfer said. “It was an incredible week, which gave me the most important title of my career.

“Thanks to the 175 points earned, I should be able to enter the Wimbledon main draw. That was my goal and I hope to continue on this path.”

^{Dominik Koepfer during Saturday’s Turin Challenger final. Credit: Francesco Panunzio}

The lefty Koepfer produced a heavy-hitting performance to rally to his fourth Challenger crown and second of this season (Mexico City). The World No. 102 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings has competed in four Challenger finals this year and boasts a 20-7 Challenger-match record in 2023.

A former Tulane University standout, Koepfer played his first-round match in Turin approximately 48 hours after competing in last week’s Prague Challenger final.

Gaio, 31, was playing in his first Challenger final since July 2021. The home hope upset top seed and World No. 40 Sebastian Baez 7-5, 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Andrey Golubev and Denys Molchanov claimed the doubles title in Turin, where they defeated Nathaniel Lammons and John Peers 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 10-5 in Saturday’s championship match.

The 2023 Turin Doubles Champs 🏆

Denys Molchanov and Andrey Golubev fend off Lammons/Peers to notch their first title as a team!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/yt4Xne3JJx

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 20, 2023

Casper Ruud will have to wait for his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title after he lost against Holger Rune in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals on Saturday. The Norwegian was happy with his performances in Rome, though, where he earned his best Masters 1000 result of the season.

“Yeah, good feelings overall,” Ruud said. “It was a pity today that I wasn’t able to close out the match, but that’s how it goes. A couple of days ago I could have lost in the third round. I mean, I was very happy to be in the semis. I played some good matches, got some good wins. Hopefully I can build on this further.

“There are two more tournaments on clay now before the grass comes up for me – Geneva and Roland Garros – where last year I have some of the best memories of the year. I hope that I can sort of awaken those memories again and keep building and be strong and fit and ready for Roland Garros.”

The Norwegian, who advanced to the championship match at the clay-court major last year, arrived in Rome off the back of a modest season by his standards. He looked close to his best in the Italian capital, rising nine spots to 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Ruud led Rune by a set-and-a-break in their semi-final clash on Saturday before the Dane turned it around. The 24-year-old was frustrated he was unable to close out and reach his second ATP Masters 1000 final (Miami 2022).

“It was a well-played match until maybe the third set. I didn’t play too well unfortunately,” Ruud said. “There were some great rallies. Both of us, we can chase down balls. I think we like to run around on clay. I think Holger plays also very aggressively. But he can run and slide around there and defend as well. It was some great rallies.

“I was very happy with the level that we played at for almost two sets. Like I said, the third set was unfortunately poor by me. I’m going to try to erase that from my memory as quickly as possible. There were some great rallies. It was a fun match to play. Also I think I crowd enjoyed it.”

Rune, up one place to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will play Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas for his second ATP Masters 1000 crown on Sunday. Ruud was full of praise for the 20-year-old.

“I think he plays very fearlessly, takes the ball early, which is really impressive to do on clay,” Ruud said. “It’s not very typical to sort of do too well on clay because you have some wrong bounces and all these things. He did it really well. A couple times I played heavy, he just went on the rise, hit the clean winner back. I think that’s really well done.”

Ruud will next compete in Geneva, where he is the two-time defending champion at the ATP 250 clay-court event.

Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas’ semi-final clash at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia has been interrupted by rain in Rome with Tsitsipas leading 5-4 on serve in the first set.

A rapid start by the third-seeded Medvedev saw him notch a break in the opening game of Saturday’s blockbuster last-four encounter, but Tsitsipas produced a huge forehand winner to convert his first break point of the match in the eighth game.

Just moments later the persistent drizzle in the Italian capital grew heavier, prompting Chair Umpire Mohamed Lahyani to suspend play at the ATP Masters 1000 event. A break in the rain enabled the players to return to court around two hours later, but only one game was possible before the inclement intervened again.

Medvedev had not won a match in three attempts in Rome prior to this year, but the 27-year-old lost just one set in four matches en route to the semi-finals. Tsitsipas is appearing in his third Rome semi-final and is chasing consecutive championship match appearances at the Foro Italico. Whoever prevails will take on Holger Rune in Sunday’s final. The seventh seed earlier defeated Casper Ruud 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2.

Holger Rune moved to within one win of capturing his second ATP Masters 1000 title on Saturday, when he earned a comeback victory against Casper Ruud at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

In a tight clash, the Dane rallied from a break down in the second set to overcame the fourth seed Ruud 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 and earn his 27th win of the season.

Rune, who is making his debut in Rome, defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. He backed up that standout win with a clean hitting performance against Ruud to improve to 1-4 in their ATP Head2Head series. The 20-year-old struck his groundstrokes with power and showed deft touch at times, outfoxing Ruud in a series of cat-and-mouse exchanges to advance after two hours and 41 minutes.

“I had nothing to lose in the second [set], so I just told myself to play freely and enjoy it as I thought it would be my last set here,” Rune said. “I told myself to play aggressively and enjoy it and I did it and that was the key to comeback.”

The Dane has enjoyed a strong clay-court season. He reached the final in Monte-Carlo before he clinched the crown in Munich, and he holds a 13-2 record on the surface for the year. With his victory against Ruud, Rune has climbed one spot to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. If he wins the title on Sunday, he could jump to No. 5.

“I really played some of my best tennis in the past two matches against Novak and then Casper,” Rune said. “Two difficult players to play, so I had to find my best tennis and I actually didn’t find it today, only at the end and that is why I turned it around.”

Rune lifted his maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris last year and will play for his fifth tour-level trophy and second at Masters 1000 level on Sunday against Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Chasing his first ATP Masters 1000 crown, Ruud was competing in the semi-finals in Rome for the third consecutive time. The 24-year-old arrived in the Italian capital having had a modest season by his standards. The fourth seed lifted the trophy in Estoril but struggled at Masters 1000 events, failing to advance beyond the third round in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo or Madrid.

He looked back to his best on the clay in Rome, where he earned victories against Arthur Rinderknech, Alexander Bublik, Laslo Djere and Francisco Cerundolo.

In an entertaining match, both players came out firing as they pulled each other around with their pace and variety. With nothing to separate them, a tie-break was left to decide the first set, with Ruud improving his depth on return to pull away and lead.

From 4-2 ahead in the second set, the Norwegian looked set to reach his second Masters 1000 final. However, Rune refused to falter. He started to go after the ball more, pouncing on short balls from Ruud to reel off four straight games and level. The Dane was then strong on serve in the decider. He did not face a break point in the third set to advance.

Did You Know?
Saturday’s semi-final between the Norwegian Ruud and Dane Rune was the first all-Scandinavian Masters 1000 semi-final since Jonas Bjorkman defeated Thomas Enqvist in Paris in 1997.

The European clay-court season continues on the ATP Tour, with ATP 250 events taking place this week at the Gonet Geneva Open and Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon.

Two-time winner Casper Ruud leads the field on the clay in Geneva, while 2022 champion Cameron Norrie competes in Lyon. ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN GENEVA

Two-Time Defending Champ Ruud: Ruud will aim to become the first player in tournament history to capture three consecutive titles when he takes to court in Geneva. The Norwegian clinched his 10th tour-level trophy, his ninth on clay, earlier this season in Estoril before he advanced to the semi-finals in Rome, where he is still alive.

Can Fritz Regain Form? Taylor Fritz clinched his fifth tour-level trophy earlier this season in Delray Beach before he advanced to the semi-finals at clay-court events in Monte-Carlo and Munich. He arrives in Geneva off the back of disappointing defeats in Madrid and Rome, though, where he fell in the fourth round and second round, respectively. Can he bounce back with a title run in Switzerland?

Dimitrov & Zverev Receive Wild Cards: Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev have both compete as wild cards. The 26-year-old Zverev lifted the trophy in his only previous appearance in Geneva in 2019, while Dimitrov reached the quarter-finals in 2021. Zverev opens against Christopher Eubanks or Benoit Paire, while Dimitrov plays Roberto Carballes Baena or a qualifier.

#NextGenATP American Shelton In Action: Ben Shelton has enjoyed some positive results in his first season competing on the clay on the ATP Tour. The 20-year-old earned tour-level wins in Estoril and Barcelona and will look to build on that in Geneva on his tournament debut. The American is currently fourth in the Next Gen ATP Race and will want a deep run to climb further.

Wu Chasing Clay Success: Wu Yibing broke new ground earlier this season when he clinched his first tour-level title on hard courts in Dallas. The Chinese star is now looking to transfer that form onto clay, having earned just one win on the surface so far this year. The 23-year-old, who is 1-3 on clay in 2023, is making his debut in Geneva.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LYON

Reigning Titlist Norrie: Norrie holds an impressive record in Lyon, having reached the final in 2021 before lifting the trophy in 2022. The Briton, who advanced to the fourth round in Rome last week, is currently 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and will be hoping for a strong week to close the gap on eighth-placed Fritz.

Felix Competes, Paul Continues Turin Pursuit: Felix Auger-Aliassime will make his third appearance in Lyon after receiving a wild card. The Canadian, who reached the final at the ATP 250 in 2019, is seeking his first clay-court win of the season, after suffering opening-round defeats in Madrid and Rome.

Tommy Paul is 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 1,385 points. The American is currently 440 points behind Fritz in eighth and will be determined to regain his early season form in Lyon, where he is making his second appearance. The 26-year-old reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January, with his best result on clay a run to the final at an ATP Challenger Tour event in France.

2022 Next Gen ATP Finals Stars In Action: Brandon Nakashima and Jack Draper both lit up Milan last year, with the former winning the title. Both are in action in Lyon, where they will be hoping to kickstart their seasons. The American Nakashima is 3-6 on the season, while Draper has not competed since Monte-Carlo due to injury.

Home Favourites: Richard Gasquet, Gregoire Barrere and Corentin Moutet will lead French hopes at the ATP 250. Gasquet has tasted success in Lyon before, winning the title in 2006, while Barrere arrives off the back of a run to the third round in Rome. Moutet is making his fourth appearance at the clay-court tournament, having advanced to the second round in 2019.

Ram/Salisbury Lead Doubles Field: Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will look to win their first title of the season when they team in Lyon. The American-British tandem, who have won nine trophies together, will face competition from Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni and Nicolas Mahut/Matwe Middelkoop.