Daniil Medvedev turns on Italian Open crowd before Lorenzo Musetti match suspended

turned on Italian Open fans having been booed for much of his clash with home favourite Lorenzo Musetti. Spectators at the tournament have been eager to support their countrymen and women.

Medvedev coped with the animosity for most of the match but he snapped in the second set. The Russian was trailing 7-5 5-3 when he turned to the crowd and placed his finger to his lips. He continued to turn around as if he was looking each fan in the eye. As he did so, the boos grew louder and more vociferous. The umpire attempted to calm tensions between Medvedev and the crowd.

He initially spoke to the crowd in Italian before pleading: "Quiet, please."

But the request did not work and the boos continued. Medvedev once again placed his finger to his lips while one individual in the crowd shouted inaudibly in Italian.

The umpire raised his hands and demanded: "Calm!"

Medvedev served successfully to win the next game, taking the score to 5-4. However, a deluge of rain soon halted proceedings, with the match suspended.

Both players dramatically tried to play through the shower but the conditions began to have an impact on the play. Musetti won a drop shot which died on the wet clay surface.

Unfortunately for the Italian, the action was suspended with him boasting match point. He had successfully served to claim a 40-30 lead at 5-4 in the second set. The match remained suspended for well over an hour as staff desperately attempted to combat the rain and dry the surface.

There was no sign of any nerves that had been built up during the delay, though, with Musetti successfully seeing out the match. He won a 13-shot rally to clinch a 7-5 6-4 victory over World No. 11 Medvedev. The 23-year-old will play the winner of the match between defending champion Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils, with the start suspended by the rain.

Medvedev's reaction to the crowd was similar to that of fellow Russian player Diana Schnaider. During her defeat against Italian Jasmine Paolini earlier on Tuesday, Schnaider was jeered after her opponent broke her serve. The 21-year-old angrily gestured for the crowd to continue their mocking, waving her arms in the air.

Paolini became the first player to reach the Italian Open semi-final since her doubles partner Sara Errani did so in 2014. She defeated Schnaider 6-7 6-4 6-2.