Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: Holger Rune vs. Andrey Rublev, Monte Carlo final

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On Sunday, Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev will clash in the final of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The semifinals were already a treat for all of us, with Rublev beating Taylor Fritz in a fun three-set match and Rune outlasting Jannik Sinner in a thrilling three-setter. It does, however, need to be noted that Rune’s meeting with Sinner lasted nearly three hours. And it was played late at night because of the rain delays, so it’ll be interesting to see how his body holds up here.

Even with Rune dealing with some fatigue, it’s hard not to like him to win this title. These two met in a legitimate classic at the Australian Open back in January, when Rublev earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (11-9) win over Rune. It was a back-and-forth match that saw Rune blow a 5-0 lead—and later two match points—in their fifth-set tiebreaker. Rune looked like the better of the two players that day, but he was playing through an injury and made some mistakes in key moments—which should be expected of a 19-year-old. But Rune won the only other meeting between these two, which took place during his statement 2022 Paris Masters title run. Now, the two battle it out in a situation that probably favors Rune.

If Rune can find a way to quickly lock back in after winning an epic match against Sinner, this will be his match to lose. The teenage phenom looks the part of a clay-court stud, as he’s tough as nails and moves remarkably well. Rublev is no slouch when it comes to covering the court, but he isn’t quite as fluid as Rune is. And while Rublev has a little more power from the baseline, Rune is good at redirecting pace. It isn’t hard to envision a scenario in which he really gets under Rublev’s skin by taking away winners and forcing him to play extra balls. Rune made things very tough on Sinner on Saturday, even causing the Italian to second guess himself quite a bit.

Rune is also a bit stronger mentally than he was in Melbourne, and he proved that in his win over Sinner. That should help him play a bit better in key points this time around, and it’s also hard to ignore that revenge will be on his mind here. He noted after his semifinal win that he doesn’t like thinking about that Australian Open match, and he made it a point to say that one of the two players will move to 2-1 in their head-to-head series. That shows that Rune is clearly thinking about this matchup, and you have to love that competitiveness.

It's also worth mentioning that Rune is a very charismatic player on the court, and his flare for the dramatic could potentially get in Rublev’s head here. Rublev runs a little hot out there, despite being one of the nicest guys on the ATP Tour. It wouldn’t be shocking if Rune’s antics bring out the worst in Rublev. But either way, Rune just has a little more game than the Russian and this feels like it’s his time to put his stamp on the men’s game. Everybody talks about Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner, but Rune now has an opportunity to win a second Masters 1000 title before the Italian claims his first. Considering his drive, the world No. 9 will be excited about that chance.

Line Call: Rune To Win (-155)