"Consolation for the Rafa news" - Tennis fans react to "chaotic" Italian Open SF between Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas

With Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas playing the semi-finals of the 2023 Italian Open, tennis fans are eagerly anticipating the upcoming thrilling matches.

Ruud successfully secured his spot in the semifinals of the Italian Open after defeating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(5), 6-4. The win marks Ruud's third consecutive appearance in the semifinals at the Italian ATP 1000 tournament. The Norwegian will face Holger Rune in the semifinals. Rune previously defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinal.

Ruud boasts a flawless 4-0 record against the Dane, with each of their four encounters taking place on clay courts. Their most recent clash came at the quarterfinals of the 2022 Roland Garros.

Medvedev produced one of the finest claycourt performances of his career to defeat German qualifier Yannik Hanfmann in the quarterfinal. The Russian has reached his first Masters 1000 clay court semifinal since Monte-Carlo 2019.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas continued his impressive winning form, triumphing over Borna Coric in straight sets. With this win, the Greek secured his 27th victory of the season, with 13 of them coming on clay.

Tsitsipas will face Medvedev in a highly anticipated semifinal match. The Russian has a 7-4 lead against Tsitsipas, but the World No. 5 has won three of their last four encounters, including their most recent claycourt match in the 2021 Roland Garros quarterfinals.

Tennis fans took to social media to express their excitement and anticipation for the upcoming semifinals matches. One fan suggested that the matches were a consolation prize for the unfortunate absence of Rafael Nadal from the 2023 French Open.

"Tennis gods giving us consolation for the Rafa news," they tweeted.

Another fan wrote that the Italian Open "delivered" for having these four players as their semifinalists.

"Rome delivered, absolutely chaotic," they wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

"He deserves where he is at the moment" – Casper Ruud on Holger Rune ahead of their 2023 Italian Open SF clash

Casper Ruud and Holger Rune at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters

Despite their differences, Casper Ruud commended Holger Rune for his remarkable ascent in the past few months. Speaking after his quarterfinals win against Francisco Cerundolo, the Norwegian stated that Rune deserved his place at the top-tier of men's tennis.

“He’s a very, very energetic player. He’s improved so much. You can see that his confidence is good on court and really deserves where he is at the moment. He has big goals for his career and he is going through one goal by another,” the two-time Grand Slam runner-up said.

Ruud and Holger Rune will face off on Saturday, May 20, for a spot in Sunday's Italian Open final.