Denmark's Holger Rune beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-4 to reach the Indian Wells ATP Masters final on Saturday, denying the Russian world number six a third straight trip to the title match.
Rune, ranked 13th, snapped a seven-match losing streak in semi-finals and will face either two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Britain's Jack Draper on Sunday.
In a rematch of last year's quarter-finals, the 21-year-old Rune showed admirable discipline against the Medvedev's vaunted defense, sticking in the rallies and keeping the Russian off balance with a variety of shots while making judicious use of his powerful forehand.
After an early exchange of breaks in the opening set, Rune managed to grind out a key hold for 4-4, saving one break point in a game that went to deuce six times and lasted nearly 11 minutes.
He gained the decisive break for a 6-5 lead and pocketed the set when his rolling backhand drew another error from Medvedev.
The second set was a more straightforward affair after Rune broke Medvedev at love for a 2-1 lead.
After two nervy points as he served for the match, Rune rallied from 0-30 down and punctuated the victory with a forehand winner.
Rune, whose ascent has slowed since he burst on the scene in 2022 with a victory over Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters final, reached his first tour-level final since Brisbane in January of 2024.
bb/sev
