Holger Rune reached the Shanghai Masters quarter-final. The young Dane was the favorite against world no. 204 Valentin Vacherot but experienced a 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 defeat in just under three hours.
World no. 11 stood three points away from sealing the deal in straight sets. However, he lost a tie break of the second set and experienced a break in the decider that sent him through the exit door.
Holger decided to make a change in his schedule, adding ATP 250 event in Stockholm to his calendar and flying to the Swedish capital from China. The 2022 champion will lead the draw, facing Jesper de Jong or Marton Fuscovics in the second round.
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The Dane missed valuable points in Shanghai, standing 1000 points away from a place at the ATP Finals in Turin. Holger will seek the title in Stockholm, his first since Barcelona in April, and improve his tally ahead of Basel and Paris.
Rune debuted in Stockholm in 2022 and prevailed over Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur for a place in the title clash. He faced world no. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas and earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory in an hour and 32 minutes.
The young gun served well and denied the only break point he faced. Tsitsipas felt the pressure and suffered one break in each set to propel his rival toward the second ATP title.
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Holger will chase his second Stockholm crown against Casper Ruud, Denis Shapovalov, Ugo Humbert, Tallon Griekspoor, Alexandre Muller and Alexei Popyrin.
The Dane claimed his only title of the season at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona in April. He defeated injured Carlos Alcaraz to lift a notable trophy. However, he has struggled to repeat that results in the previous months.
Rune's best run came in Cincinnati when he reached the quarter-final, and he currently stands miles behind the last spot that leads to the ATP Finals.
