Rune vs Rublev in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters

Starting slowly when losing the first set 1-6, Holger Rune surprised when he came back strong in the following two sets to maintain the record of winning against Sinner through two confrontations. In the second Masters 1000 final of his career, Rune will face Rublev - who also won back after losing the first set to Fritz.

Against a heavy attacking opponent, Rune won 40% of the score when he was on the defensive, well above the league average (32%). The Danish player also showed a strong mentality, especially in the second set. Rain interrupted the match when Rune led this set 3-0. When he returned, he let Sinner win three games in a row and equalized the score 5-5. But Rune won eight of the last 10 points of the set to drag the match into the third set.

The Rainier III arena slowed down after the rain, putting Sinner at a disadvantage. He had no chance of winning the catch game in the deciding set, and kept the game delivered hard. By the 12th game, Sinner could not save the break-point as well as the match-point. Sinner's forehand shot into the net helped Rune win his 17th game of the year and reach the final.

Rublev had previously used eight of the 21 break-points to beat Fritz for the first time. In all three sets, the Russian player had the opportunity to serve to end the set. He lost three games in a row at the end of the first set, before coming back strong in the following two sets. Rublev reached the final in Monte Carlo for the second time. Last time, he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 tournament.

Rune and Rublev met in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open. At that time, Rublev saved two match-points in a five-set match and won back. In the tie-break series of 10, Rublev was down 0-5 but still won the final 11-9. The rematch between the two players is scheduled to take place at 19:30 today, April 16, Hanoi time.