The second exhibition court in Monte Carlo, the Court des Princes, has concluded its singles play for another year.
Only a handful of ATP matches are held in this small, cliffside arena each season, but it makes the most of its opportunities.
Holger Rune and Grigor Dimitrov engaged in the next-to-last singles match of the 2024 tournament on Thursday afternoon.
They helped draw the curtain in a fittingly theatrical manner, aided by the sun setting and its golden-hour light.
For three hours and thirty minutes, the Dane and the Bulgarian lumbered, ran, stumbled, and occasionally slipped and fell.
Tiebreakers were used in two of the three sets. Dimitrov hit 35 winners and Rune hit 36. 32 for Rune, 38 for Dimitrov at the net.
With two more breakaways than Rune, Dimitrov gained more points (127 to 125), held set points in all three sets, and twice got to match point.
However, Rune emerged victorious in both tiebreakers and the match, winning 7-6 (9), 3-6, 7-6 (2).
