Holger Rune says he enjoyed playing against hostile crowd during Monte-Carlo SF win

Holger Rune beat Jannik Sinner in a late-night thriller at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday, bringing himself within one victory of his second ATP Masters 1000 title. Rune overcame a deficit to beat the Italian 1-6, 7-5, 7-5.

With this victory, Rune has become the first teenager to reach the Monte-Carlo final since Rafael Nadal in 2006. He is also the third teenager after Nadal and fellow youngster Carlos Alcaraz to reach ATP Masters 1000 finals on multiple surfaces.

But the Dane was constantly booed by the crowd, who were rooting for Jannik Sinner. The duo also shared a cold handshake at the net, as can be seen in the video below.

Holger Rune discussed Jannik Sinner in his on-court interview, saying that his opponent was incredible and that he had to dig deep to bounce back. Rune added that even though the crowd was constantly cheering for the Italian, it was "fun" to play like that.

"It was unbelievable. Jannik started firing, hitting a lot of winners. He’s been in great form. I had to dig deep, find solutions, which I did well. It was an amazing crowd. Even though they cheered for Jannik, I think it’s fun to play like this," Rune said.

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Holger Rune will square off against Andrey Rublev in the final

Holger Rune pictured at the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters - Day Seven.

Holger Rune will compete for his second 1000 Masters title against Andrey Rublev in the finals, who is coming off a solid 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win against Taylor Fritz. The pair previously met at the 2023 Australian Open, where the Russian defeated the Dane in a tight five-set battle.

Rune also addressed playing Rublev in the final, saying that their previous match at the Australian Open was not fun whatsoever. He went on to express hope that the outcome would be different this time.

"Our last match wasn’t fun at all. I hope it will be different. It was unlucky for me. Andrey played amazing. We both played a great match. Small margins here & there, like today. Against Rublev it’s 1-1. One of us will make it 2-1. Let’s see," Rune said.

The 19-year-old has risen two places to No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He could reach a career-high No. 6 if he wins his fourth tour-level title on Sunday, April 16.