Holger Rune is through to the last eight in Shanghai. The young Dane faced Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the fourth round and earned a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 triumph in two hours and 28 minutes.
Thus, the Dane will compete in his 11th Masters 1000 quarter-final, becoming the third player born in 2000 or after to achieve that and following Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on that list.
Rune collected 15 points more than his rival and outplayed him behind the first and second serve. World no. 11 denied all three break points and kept the pressure on giant server.
Giovanni fought well, stealing the second set but finishing on the losing side after dropping serve two times from seven opportunities presented to the favorite. Holger tamed his strokes superbly and hit 36 winners and nine unforced errors.
The Frenchman fired 51 winners and 38 unforced errors but failed to fire more service winners than his rival. Rune had the upper hand from the baseline, while Mpetshi Perricard claimed more points at the net.
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Holger provided five comfortable holds in the opening set and challenged his rival to follow that pace. He stole Giovanni's serve in the first game of the duel and built an early advantage.
The Frenchman saved two set points on serve at 3-5 before the Dane wrapped up the first part of the encounter with another fine hold in gameten. Mpetshi Perricard saved a break point in the fifth game of the second set.
He generated three break chances at 4-3 that could have sent him in front. However, Rune saved them and held for 4-4. The set went into a tie break, and the Frenchman seized the fifth set point at 8-7 to introduce a decider.
Rune left that setback behind and delivered five comfortable holds in the final set. He grabbed a decisive break in the second game and controlled the scoreboard before moving over the top with a hold at 5-3.
