Holger Rune weathered the Matteo Berrettini storm in Shanghai, recovering from a set down to muscle into the third-round.
A long-awaited second-round contest, both through the profile of the players, and due to the heavy rain that washed out Shanghai.
Holger Rune has, as ever, endured a topsy-turvy season, plagued by coaching changes and injuries.
A frustratingly similar year of underachievement for the Dane has slightly picked up in recent months with a noticeable rise in form.
After the 21-year-old received a bye in the opening round, his second-round match with Matteo Berrettini was originally scheduled for Saturday, but upheaval, this time out of Rune’s hands, delayed the match until Monday .
Against the hard-hitting Berrettini, who Rune defeated just two months ago in Cincinnati from a set down, the Dane took a similar approach as he staged a cool comeback to eventually progress past the Italian.
Holger Rune identifies the ‘big change’ he made to fight back against Matteo Berrettini
Both formerly of the top 10, Rune and Berrettini have experienced a drop in rankings for different reasons.
However, it was quickly clear that these two ATP heavyweights would be right back in the fray sooner rather than later.
After Rune lost the opener 4-6, he explained what he did to adjust his game and eventually come through the next two 6-4, 6-3.
“I think I’ve been consistent in many tournaments, but haven’t really gone all the way. It’s just a process. Keep working, keep trying to do the right things,” Rune reflected to the ATP website on his patchy season.
“From my side there was a big change from the first set to the last two sets. I was hitting the ball better. I was moving more up to the ball, playing more on my terms, aggressively coming forward.
With Jiri Lehecka next, Rune has remained diplomatic about his ambitions, simply relishing in his new-found gumption. I’m happy with the way I started this tournament. I think that’s the way for me to play and I’m going to keep going like this.”
Holger Rune has all the qualities of a top 10 player
After Rune finally split with Patrick Mouratoglou, seemingly for the definitive time, one of tennis’ most dreary repeat episodes has finally stopped airing.
Reinvigorated, Rune has since started performing better, reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati and the Tokyo Open last week.
Often involved in lengthy and admittedly exciting and high-quality encounters, Rune’s long-expected breakthrough will only come once he re-acquires that clinical edge.
While his ability to recover in matches is an important part of the makeup of a top 10 player, a more ruthless approach to these earlier round matches is needed.
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