Holger Rune upsets Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells semi

Holger Rune beat Daniil Medvedev at the Indian Wells Open on Saturday, defying tennis betting odds to make the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in California.

The world No.13 had fallen at the semi-final stage in his last seven appearances, but Rune snapped that streak in style with a straight sets victory over 2024 finalist Medvedev.

The 7-5, 6-4 result was not what tennis bookmakers expected, with the Dane priced as a $2.30 underdog heading into the match.

However, Rune continued the kind of form that helped him to victory over No. 6 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier in the tournament, his first outdoor hard-court victory over a top-10 opponent.

The 21-year-old struck 20 winners and extracted a plethora of unforced errors from Medvedev’s end with plenty of short slices and challenging shot variation.

“Obviously I have a lot of respect for Daniil,” Rune said after the one-hour, 39-minute match.

“He’s a very difficult player to play. He makes you play uncomfortable shots.

“It’s a very specific tactical plan that Lars and I made yesterday.

“I tried to play as well as possible, making it difficult for him, trying to, you know, play different kinds of shots to mix up the rhythm in the game.

“I think I did it well. I stayed very patient, very composed mentally. “I’m very happy to get through.”

Rune takes on Britain’s Jack Draper in the final of the Indian Wells Open on Sunday and again is a moderate underdog across top bookmakers.

BetOnline has him priced at $2.30 to overcome the No. 13 seed, who pays $1.61 with BetOnline heading into the final despite Rune winning the pair’s previous meeting last year.

“Jack and I played once last year in Cincinnati,” Rune said.

“It was very different conditions than here. Much faster surface.

“Yeah, it was a good match for me.”

“Again, he’s gained a lot of confidence. He’s been improving.”

“He’s a lefty. Great serve. I think he’s been serving well this tournament.”

“Yeah, he’s going to be excited.”

Should Rune beat Draper, he will return to the world’s top 10 for the first time since April 2024

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