Rome aka the Internazionali BNL d’Italia

[jimlosaltos]

Rune on serve hit a 97 mph winner on the run from behind the doubles alley, which lands just inside Medy's baseline. Saves one breaker.

No matter, Medy break backs to 2-2 in second after beating Rune at the net 3x in one game.
Rune served and volleyed. Medy put it on his toes from 10 feet behind the baseline. Point Octopus
Rune forehand approach and gets low volley back. Medy passes him down the line. Point Octopus.
Rune attached Medy's backhand, pops up a drop volley, Medy gallops in from deep, backhand down the line. Game Octopus.

Rune has won 8 out of 17 points at the net.

Rune won a large majority of longer rallies in beating Djokovic, losing them today to Medvedev. Make of that what you will.

[jimlosaltos]

Rune's changing it up.

Hits kick serve that Medvedev returns from the flower pots. Rune comes in on a forehand and gets a volley he can put away to an open court.

Next, Rune decides to play rope-a-dope. Moves back on return. Then, Wins 34 (38?) shot rally by hitting a DTL backhand on the baseline. Did not see that coming.

Works. Medvedev has a walk-a-bout. After the 34 shot rally, Rune is gasping for air, hits a short floater and stops running. Medy butchers a swing volley into the net. Follows with a double fault, then missing a shorter swing volley deep. Break, 4-3 Rune.

[jimlosaltos]

Announcers note that Rune is still huffing and puffing while Medvedev looks like he's taking a stroll in the park and "Medvedev has been good at the end of sets all tournaments"

Presto: Rune tries to serve for set and Medy breaks back. Just "lock down mode". 5-5 in second.

[jimlosaltos]

Medvedev wins his 6th Masters title at 6 different events.

Medy is the master of 7-5 sets. He'll have to change his name from The Octopus to The Closer.

At the end Rune faded. Was that physical fatigue or mental fatigue? Or perhaps mental fatigue caused by physical fatigue? Had some strenuous matches but is he ready to play 5 setters?

In the end, Medvedev's first serve and Rune's fitness were the difference. Rune's aggressive service returns worked vs Medy's second serves but not on the firsts (unlike Rune's win over Djokovic). Note how Rune was dominant behind his own second serve winning a higher percentage on his second than on his first -- 63% to 52%

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Pretty even all around until the final game.

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[stroke]

Very impressive by the Wall. He definitely has some of that Novak boa constrictor in him, where he can really squeeze his opponent when it counts the most.

[jimlosaltos]

Two next-day responses.

1) A Roof is Coming.

(AP) — At the conclusion of one of the tournament's wettest editions, Italian Open organizers have promised to install a retractable roof over the tennis court by 2026.

"The roof is coming," Vito Cozzoli, the CEO of the Italian government agency Sport e Salute, said Sunday. "The feasibility plan has been approved and it will be a futuristic project that will make the Foro Italico's center court usable year round."
https://www.tennis.com/news/articles...-court-by-2026

2) WTA Defends Late Start for Women's Final

WTA "It was important to ensure that more than 8,000 paying fans for the final and others who stayed through significant delays saw the contest."

Several WTA players and TV analysts voiced complaints:

"These two WTA 1000s Madrid and Rome have been fiascos for women's tennis. There are no excuses but many reasons for the fiascos," former world number three Pam Shriver said.

"What the hell is going on with this presentation? Also the fact that the women are playing a final of a 1000 (event) at midnight is an abomination," Australian Stubbs said.

https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/wta-defends-late-start-italian-open-womens-final-2023-05-21/