By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday October 1, 2022
Holger Rune advanced past two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner, who was bothered by an ankle injury, in Sofia.
Photo Source: AP
It is a rivalry that sparks interest among the tennis cognoscenti. Holger Rune, still cutting his teeth on the tour at age 19, but already an ATP titlist and a Grand Slam quarterfinalist (at Roland-Garros), and Jannik Sinner, a 21-year-old who is already firmly ensconced inside the Top-10 and considered one of the brightest stars in the tennis galaxy.
The pair locked horns for the first time on Saturday in Sofia, where Sinner was the two-time defending champion riding an 11-match winning streak at the event.
That streak is no more for the Italian.
Rune came through a nip-and-tuck battle, 5-7, 6-4, 5-2 RET, after Sinner took a dangerous final in the final set and was unable to finish the match.
Before the pair completed their contest, Rune was able to prove that he was more than capable of going toe-to-tie with Sinner. The Dane, ranked 31, rallied from a set down and had taken over the contest and was in the driver’s seat, leading by a break in the final set, before Sinner took a fall at 2-3, 15-15.
The Italian would return to the court after a consultation with on-court physicians, but he was unable to finish the match.
Rune will face Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler for the title on Sunday. The Dane, who made his top-100 debut in January, is bidding for his second ti tle of the season, and first on a hard court.
He promises to be a force on tour for years to come, no matter the surface.