World number six Elena Rybakina warmed up for the French Open by capturing the Italian Open title after her Ukrainian opponent Anhelina Kalinina was forced to retire with an apparent left leg injury while trailing 6-4 1-0.

Holger Rune battled from a set and break down to seal a 6-7(2) 6-4 6-2 win over world number four Casper Ruud in an absorbing all-Scandinavian Italian Open semi-final and will face Daniil Medvedev for the title.

Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina said she was determined to give her war-torn country something to cheer about with her achievements on the tennis court after beating Russian 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova to reach the final of the Italian Open.

Seventh seed Elena Rybakina beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a rain-delayed semi-final at the Italian Open and will play Anhelina Kalinina in Saturday’s final.

Former world number one Simona Halep has been charged with a second breach of doping rules, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.

World number three Daniil Medvedev produced a dominant performance against German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

Holder Rafa Nadal will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January.

Holger Rune sent an off-colour Novak Djokovic tumbling out of the Italian Open on Wednesday as the young Dane prevailed 6-2 4-6 6-2 in an epic battle against the defending champion to secure his place in the semi-finals.

Holder Novak Djokovic powered past Briton Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 in a tense match to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday and remain on track for a seventh title in Rome.

Carlos Alcaraz crashed to a humbling 6-3 7-6(4) defeat by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the Italian Open  as his quest for a third straight title on clay before the French Open ended in disappointment.

Holder Novak Djokovic began his hunt for a seventh Italian Open title by battling past the unseeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5) 6-2 this morning while women’s champion Iga Swiatek delivered a masterclass to reach the third round.

Seville will host the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, the International Tennis Federation announced on Wednesday.