Rune beats Djokovic again to reach Rome semis

Twenty-year-old Holger Rune recorded his second victory over Novak Djokovic in six months, beating the 22-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 Wednesday to reach the Italian Open semifinals.

Rune defeated Djokovic in the Paris Masters final in November. He made his opponent hit extra balls on points that Djokovic thought he had already finished off and managed to clinch the victory in Rome.

The 35-year-old Djokovic didn’t appear at his best physically early on and called for a trainer after holding for a 2-1 lead in the second set. It wasn’t immediately clear what the issue was but it appeared that Djokovic swallowed a pill that the trainer gave him.

RUTHLESS RUNE 🤯@holgerrune2003 knocks 6-time Champion Novak Djokovic out of Rome! #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/8c74E8lIs0

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With Djokovic out of the draw, an 18-year streak of either him or Nadal playing in the Rome final ends.