Holger Rune gave a masterclass in high-risk, high-reward tennis at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open on Friday, storming back to the semi-finals in Stockholm.
The top 2022 champion overshadowed his error-strewn start – and a late injury scare – with a scintillating finish to beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 at the indoor hard-court ATP 250 event.
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Despite making 19 unforced errors in the first set alone and needing a medical timeout for his left thigh in the decider, Rune hit 59 winners en route to his third semi-final of the season.
“Not very well, to be honest,” Rune said when asked how he was doing. “But I am very happy that I was able to complete the match. Without all your great fans this would not have been possible. My left leg really bothered me, but the energy was very special.”
With the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin approaching, Rune strengthened his aim to return to the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since 2023. The Dane is now 11th in the rankings, although Casper Ruud could regain the spot if he beats Sebastian Korda later on Friday.
Rune got into trouble after losing three games in a row 3-0 in the deciding set and taking a medical timeout to have his thigh heavily taped. But he roared back with fearless ball strikes to outwit the patient Etcheverry and deny him a first semi-final on hard court.
The 22-year-old, who lifted his second ATP Tour trophy in Stockholm in 2022, now has a 7-1 record at the event, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He will next face fourth seed Ugo Humbert, who earlier got past Lorenzo Sonego 6-7(3), 6-0, 6-3.
Humbert has now won 13 of his past 14 matches on indoor courts, highlighted by his appearance in the ATP Masters 1000 final in Paris last year and his title in Marseille in February. Rune leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-0.
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