By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 13, 2024
Holger Rune came back from the brink to reach his first BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Photo Source: Getty
Indian Wells – Former champion Taylor Fritz was one point from becoming the first American to reach four consecutive Indian Wells quarterfinals since 1982 on Wednesday night.
Then Holger Rune took over.
The Dane saved a match point while serving at 4-5, 30-40, and gradually gained in confidence as he took over the contest and sent the Southern California native packing with a 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 triumph to book a quarterfinal clash with last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev.
“It's great,” said Rune, who reaches his fifth Masters 1000 quarterfinal with the win. “The most important thing is I kept believing, kept trying to play better. It means a lot to win these kind of matches. It gives me an opportunity to play another match tomorrow against a great opponent."
With Caroline Wozniacki reaching the last eight, this year's BNP Paribas Open marks the first time that two Danish players have reached the quarterfinals at the same Masters 1000 since the categories' inception in 2009.
It was an impressive shotmaking display from the 20-year-old Dane, who had the 2022 champion on the back foot from the moment he saved his match point. He crushed flat forehands, ladled in perfectly placed drop shots and served big as he pushed Fritz around in the second set tiebreak and the third set.
Rune’s performance served as a poignant reminder of just how good he can be when he’s firing on all cylinders of late. It hasn’t been the best period for Rune, who entered the match having lost his last seven completed matches against Top-20 competition, but on this night he had far too much firepower for World No.12 Fritz.
“We produced some great tennis for the fans,” Rune said. “I was obviously happy with the outcome. I thought I managed to play some really good tennis in the third set. I think the crowd was feeding off our level, and it was good fun.”