Daniil Medvedev only had to win on clay, his hostile surface, and the Russian, champion of the United States Open in 2021, who has always been reluctant on clay, did not pass up the great opportunity to promote in the Masters 1,000 from Rome against the Dane Holger Rune, one of the promises of the circuit, whom he defeated in straight sets with a double 7-5, after an intense exchange of blows that lasted almost two hours.
After the storm, peace came to Rome. Also in the match, in which the great start of the always rebellious Dane, a whirlwind on the courts, was gradually extinguished by the calm and coldness of the Russian, who, with more experience in grand finals, behaved superbly to counter the attacks of the Dane and strike at the perfect time.
And that’s not easy for Medvedev on clay, a surface that was historically elusive but has become his closest ally in Rome. He defeated Zverev in the round of 16 and his ‘friend’ Tsitsipas in the semi-finals to gain access to the first final of his career on the field. The Muscovite did not let her escape, who left Rome with a new record that an orphaned Roland Garros can shake without Rafa Nadal.
The Russian was probably the only tennis player who was happy with the constant rain and humidity in the Italian capital, because they let him grow little by little on a clay court where he felt at home in the final and showed a much higher level than he shown in other editions.
As expected, in an open match and with no favorites due to the weather conditions and the characteristics of both, the first set was very even. The Dane came in with a better base, who had two break balls that he wasted in the fifth game and who took a toll at the end of this match as he saw himself against the ropes, saw how everything he had worked for in these two weeks could come to nothing, they brought to life a Medvedev who started carburizing and feeling confident.
Then came the longest exchanges that annulled Rune, accompanied by two impossible blows, close to the line, which even made the Dane laugh, who resigned himself to the level of his rival, superior in the final stretch. So much so that, at 6-5 on the scoreboard, he got the first break of the match to win the first set.
But Medvedev’s joy, already envisioning his first trophy on clay, vanished after another stunning start from Rune, materializing a break that saw him breathe and take the lead (2-0). The problem is that, just like in the first set, the storm came to rest. Once again, Medvedev, undaunted by Rune’s outburst, managed to hold the moment of weakness and skillfully manage it to get strong shortly after and strike back, with three games in a row putting him back in the lead (3-2).
Medvedev’s positive inertia trembled a Rune, who saw himself momentarily unable, but who drew strength from a point where he didn’t have to bring his serve forward and with anger and relief in equal parts the three-fourths tie that still left him left. gave life So much so that he gave the three games back to the Russian and led 5-3, with a serve to end the set.
The joy soon turned to worry and despair for the young promise. The Dane was dizzy in another key moment of the game and allowed Medvedev to recover with some unforced errors, several long balls. And the Muscovite did not spare. He didn’t let Rune, in another bout of rebellion, break him again and saved a break point to make it 6-5, at least guaranteeing him a tie-break.
You shouldn’t have come to that point. Rune was already overwhelmed by the situation, completely controlled by a Medvedev who took advantage of two ‘break’ balls to kneel on the clay and celebrated a late doctorate for the first time on this surface but who comes at an unbeatable moment, to the doors of the main ‘Grand Slam’ in clay.
Source: El heraldo

I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.