By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, October 22, 2022
Holger Rune repelled Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 rallying into the Stockholm Open final with his fifth three-set victory in his last nine matches.
Photo credit: Getty
Decisiveness going the distance has propelled Holger Rune into the Stockholm final.
The 19-year-old Rune repelled Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 rallying into the Stockholm Open final with his fifth three-set victory in his last nine matches.
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Driving deep returns, Rune broke for a 2-0 lead in the final set and consolidated to stretch his lead to 3-0.
Facing the teenager for the first time, de Minaur broke back in the seventh game and held at 15 to level the set after eight game.
The Rune return game was an essential element to his win. Rune ripped deep return that danced at de Minaur's shoelaces converting five of 15 break point.
Rune closed on his second match point when de Minaur missed the mark on a diagonal forehand. Rune rapped 45 winners, 21 more than the speedy Aussie, improving to 28-23 in 2022.
It's the third career final for Rune, who defeated world No. 3 Alexander Zverev en route to his maiden ATP title on the red clay of Munich last April.
Rune is bidding to join world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz as the second 19-year-old to win multiple ATP titles this season.
Last January, Rune cracked the Top 100 for the first time. Rune's two hour, 50-minute win today sends him to a new career-high ranking of No. 24 in the ATP Live Rankings.
The Danish baseliner will face top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in tomorrow's final that's a Roland Garros rematch.
Tsitsipas tore up Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2 streaking into his seventh final of the season.
The fifth-ranked Greek, who equals Alcaraz for most ATP finals in 2022, is playing for his third title.Tsitsipas raised his record to a Tour-leading 56-19. Tsitsipas is bidding to join Novak Djokovic as the second man to win titles on three different surfaces this season.
Last May, Rune took a historic trek across the terre battue shocking Tsitsipas 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to become the first Danish man to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Playing with poise in just his third career Grand Slam appearance, Rune overcame closing jitters and the 2021 French Open finalist to make history as the first Danish man to advance to the last eight in a major since Jan Leschly did it at the 1967 US Championships.