Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev power through to Indian Wells semifinals, one of them will be first finalist

Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev fulfilled their roles as favorites and advanced to the semifinals of Indian Wells. The Danish player is still in the hunt to return to the top 10, for which he needs to win the title. He defeated Tallon Griekspoor 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, as he seeks his fourth appearance in a Masters 1000 final.

On Medvedev's side, he seems to be putting behind a shaky start to the year, and at Indian Wells – where he reached the final in the previous two editions – he appears to be regaining his best level. He overcame a tough Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in a rollercoaster match. A confidence boost at this stage, winning such a tight match.

A remarkable run from Rune, who, without entering as one of the top favorites, managed to secure a spot in the semifinals, marking his 6th appearance in this stage of a Masters 1000 event, something he has achieved in three of his last four appearances. The Dane eliminated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round and took advantage of Alexander Zverev’s (1st seed) early exit to quietly progress through the rounds.

After defeating the Greek player, Rune knew he had a significant chance of advancing by facing Tallon Griekspoor, the surprise of the tournament and the only unseeded player in the quarterfinals. However, the Dutchman had already eliminated first seed Zverev, and Rune couldn't afford to underestimate his chances.

Griekspoor started the match at a disadvantage, being broken early in the first set, going down 0-2, but then mounted a remarkable comeback, winning the next four games in a row. Although the Dane managed to bring the set to 5-5, his low service effectiveness allowed Griekspoor to break once more, and the Dutchman took the set 7-5, preparing for another upset.

However, from that point onward, Rune found his rhythm and played an exceptional second set, with a 76% first serve percentage, winning 85% of his first serves. He dropped only four points on his serve, while Griekspoor won just 2 out of 14 points on his. Rune comfortably took the second set 6-0 in just 29 minutes, which included a brief rain delay towards the end of the set.

In the third set, Griekspoor reduced the gap in play, but it didn't last long, as Rune capitalized on his first break point. From there, he held onto his serve, showing his class at the most crucial moments, and closed out the victory 5-7, 6-0, 6-3, proving that Rune can maintain a high level of play throughout the entire match.

In the first set, Medvedev quickly took the lead with a break in the third game. The Russian displayed his experience, maintaining the advantage throughout the following games, even saving break points against him. The former world No. 1 was sharp with his first serve, winning 81% of them compared to just 65% for Fils.

However, the 20-year-old Frenchman would not back down in the second set. He quickly took a break and went 3-0 up with his serve. The world No. 21 – just as throughout the tournament – showed resilience even when trailing on the scoreboard and managed to earn a well-deserved break.

The 20-year-old player showed his best service games to stay ahead throughout the set, playing with the calm of a seasoned player, and in the tense moments, he stayed composed and had no doubts when serving. A break towards the end gave him the set 6-2.

The third set was a nerve-wracking duel. Medvedev had a break in his favor, but Fils responded with a break, leveling the score at 2-2. The young star took a second break to go ahead 4-2 and looked set for a remarkable win. However, the Russian was not ready to give up and quickly earned a break to return to the match. Everything was decided in a rollercoaster tie-break, where Medvedev wasted two match points – one of them on his serve – but finally secured the victory 6-4, 2-6, 7-6[9-7].

Medvedev reaches a remarkable milestone of 15 Masters 1000 semifinal appearances, with 6 titles to his name. He is still in the hunt to become the third player to win all the Masters 1000 on hardcourts, potentially matching Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.