Holger Rune is making it a habit of beating Novak Djokovic. The 20-year-old stunned the Djoker with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win at the Italian Open on Wednesday, knocking the 6-time champion out in the semi-finals.
It was the second time in little more than 6 months that Rune trumped the Djoker, with the earlier victory coming in the Paris Masters final in November.
The Danish sensation also ended an 18-year-old streak. It will be the first time since 2004 that neither Djokovic or Rafael Nadal will be in the Italian Open final.
Djokovic recently returned after three weeks off because of a lingering issue with his surgically repaired right elbow. He’s preparing for the French Open, which starts in 11 days.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will also lose the No. 1 ranking to Carlos Alcaraz after this tournament — even though Alcaraz was beaten by 135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round on Monday.