Holger Rune came back from the edge on Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating Argentine Mariano Navone 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4 in a thrilling match that saw him come back from a set and break down.
In the second set, the Dane was down 5-7, 5-6, and two points from defeat. But after trailing 30/15, Navone committed two expensive double faults, and Rune capitalized on his break point opportunity to equalize the score and force a tiebreaker. In the tie-break, the 20-year-old became more aggressive and made big cuts to level the scores.
In the third set, after leading 5-1, Rune then bounced back. The four-time tour-level champion stayed strong on serve after Navone closed to 4-5, surviving a break point before ultimately securing win on his.
Rune, who, according to Infosys ATP Stats, has 38 wins on the year, erupted in celebration after winning on a volley and accepting the crowd’s hug.
18-9 on the season is the No. 12 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. At the ATP Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Rune has advanced to the final.
He will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of the competition in an attempt to win his first trophy of the year after the Dutchman defeated Taro Daniel 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
