Novak Djokovic loses to Holger Rune at Italian Open, again

Holger Rune, a 20-year-old Danish tennis player, has beaten Novak Djokovic for the second time in six months to reach the Italian Open semifinals. Rune is a talented all-around player who is strong off both his forehand and backhand, has good hands, is an aggressive returner, and is an excellent mover. Djokovic praised Rune’s rapid court coverage and said that the consistently damp conditions at the Foro Italico this week were challenging for him. Rune’s semifinal opponent will be Casper Ruud, who beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (5), 6-4. In the women’s tournament, Jelena Ostapenko beat Paula Badosa 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to reach her first semifinal on clay since winning the 2017 French Open.