Holger Rune beats Daniil Medvedev to reach final at BNP Paribas Open

Holger Rune of Denmark defeated Daniil Medvedev of Russia 7-5, 6-4 in the men's singles semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Saturday, advancing to his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Masters 1000 final since 2023.

Rune broke Medvedev first in the fifth game, but Russia's former World No. 1 responded immediately in the sixth. The 21-year-old Dane converted a second break point in the 11th game to lead 6-5, and then held to claim the set, and grab a 1-0 lead in the match.

Rune extended his momentum in the second set, delivering a love game in the third for a break. Both players continued to hold serve as the battle went on, and Rune denied Medvedev's break attempt in the 10th game to seal the deal.

"It means everything," Rune said after victory. "The job is not over yet, but it feels amazing, for sure. Playing Daniil is, I think for me, one of the toughest challenges on Tour. We know each other well, and we've practiced a lot, so it was super difficult. I obviously had the right tactic, but he still made it so difficult because he's putting in great effort and great shots, just being super solid. I'm very proud of myself."

Rune will meet Jack Draper in the final. The Briton upset the overwhelming favorite Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4, ending the Spaniard's bid for a rare "three-peat" in the California desert.

"It was a strange match, you know. Honestly Carlos came out, he was a bit flat, I sensed that," Draper said. "Against top players in the world, they can change their momentum very quickly, so I just got lost out there for 25 minutes. And then in the third, I came out, I was really proud of my competitiveness, my attitude, and somehow managed to get over the line there in the end."