Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune will fight for the semi-final spot at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Sinner and Rune are some of the players expected to carry tennis forward in the next decade. Both are fantastic players, but when it comes to their levels, the Italian is generally considered a level above, along with Carlos Alcaraz.
The young Dane has to catch up, and this match is the perfect chance for him to do so if he can win. He's played well this week, albeit the year overall hasn't been that great.
Having to play two matches in one day wasn't ideal, but Rune overcame all of that and booked this matchup against Sinner. The Italian spent far less time (2.5 hours) on the courts than Rune, who spent over 3 hours against Grigor Dimitrov alone.
That might be a factor, especially since he spent close to five hours combined on the courts on Thursday. However, that certainly won't help against a player who will put a lot of pressure on him.
Sinner and Rune have played three times so far, with the Danish player leading the H2H 2-1. One of those wins came after a retirement, but the other two were full matches.
They actually played in Monte-Carlo last year, and Rune won that match in three sets; however, that didn't happen at the ATP Finals later that year. Sinner is a far better player this year than last, so that bodes well for him, as he almost beat him last year.
| Jannik Sinner | Holger Rune | |
| 1 | H2H | 2 |
| 2 | Rank | 7 |
| 22 | Age | 20 |
| 24-1 | 2024 W/L | 15-7 |
| 216-75 | Career W/L | 111-69 |
Sinner should win this match because he's the better player right now, and he should win those baseline battles. Rune will also feel some fatigue, which certainly won't help.
Prediction: Jannik Sinner to win in two sets.