Lorenzo Musetti and Casper Ruud both saw promising starts on Saturday on shocking fashion unraveling on the Cincinnati Open, where they each fell to inspire the French opposition in their openers.
In a morning thin with disruptions at the renewed Hard-Court ATP Masters 1000 event, Benjamin Bonzi passed the eighth Seed Musetti 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4) and Arthur Rindernech died 11th Seed Ruud 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2 to go to the third round. Musetti and Ruud are ninth and 10th respectively in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, but they can continue to slide, depending on the results in Cincinnati.
In the zone?@Benjaminbonzi is on to R3 after a 5-7 6-4 7-6 (4) victory over Musetti.@Cincytennis | #Cincytennis pic.twitter.com/cmwum6yxco
– ATP Tour (@atptour) August 9, 2025
After taking his second top 10 victory of the season, Bonzi is eight places higher to No. 55 in the PIF ATP Live ranking. The Frenchman, who also defeated Daniil Medvedev in the first round in Wimbledon, will then be confronted with Stefanos Tsitsipas or Fabian Marozsan.
Bonzi’s Countryman Rinder Knech scored his first Lexus ATP Head2head victory over Ruud after four previous attempts with a Gutsy Comeback. He saved both breakpoints with which he was confronted, according to Infosys ATP statistics, when serving 4-2 in the decision maker. For Ruud, the no. 13 in the PIF ATP ranking, it only marked the second time in 29 games this year that he lost after winning the first set.
Seventh Seed Holger Rune made it safe by directing Roman Safiullin 7-5, 7-6 (5) and recording its 50th ATP Masters 1000 victory. Last year, Rune held two competition points in the semi-final before he fell to Frances Tiafoe in a third set of Tie-Break.
“It’s only about accepting, but at the same time looking for the best,” Rune said when he was asked to relax the tournaments. “Accepting that it may not happen in the first game, but the only way to get it is if you work on it from the first round. I believe I can play great tennis, so if I keep working, it will happen.”
By improving to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2head series with Safiullin, Rune started a third round collision with Alex Michelsen after the American passed Corentin Moutet 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Rune, which is a maximum of 14th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, wants to be eligible for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time after his group stage in 2023.
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