"I knew it was going to be a super tough match and that I would have to play at my best," said the 19-year-old Dane, who will meet Italian Jannik Sinner (8th) or his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti (21st), who fell to the world No. 1 and tournament favorite Novak Djokovic.
Medvedev "has a huge serve, he can hit it anywhere and sometimes you can't do anything. In these cases, you have to accept it and be ready" for when his serve is not untouchable, said Rune, winner of the last Masters 1000 in Paris having beaten Djokovic in the final.
The Russian had fought more than three hours the day before to dismiss Alexander Zverev at 23:00 past. On the contrary, Rune had benefited from the forfeit of his opponent Matteo Berrettini.
And unlike the day before against the German, Medvedev, who remained on a semifinal in his last participation in the Monegasque tournament in 2019 but who says he hates clay, did not find the opening Friday.
Rune made the break to lead 3-1 in the first set. He then held his stake firmly until the conclusion of the set.
In the second, Rune again broke early to lead 2-1, but Medvedev immediately recovered. The Dane took the lead one last time to lead 5-4 and serve for the match.
© 2023 AFP