Holger Rune has made it into the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai after a tough three-set win over France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
The Danish player started strongly, breaking Perricard’s serve early in the first set. Perricard showed some weakness on his backhand, and Rune took full advantage. That one break made the difference, as Perricard’s big serves, some over 220 km/h, made it hard for Rune to return in later games.
Rune had two chances to break again when Perricard was serving at 3-5, but the Frenchman saved both with strong serving. Rune eventually wrapped up the set on his fourth set point after a short medical timeout to remove an insect from his eye.
The second set was much closer. Both players showed off their skills, but it was Perricard who came out on top in the tiebreak, winning it 7-6.
Despite the setback, Rune stayed focused in the deciding third set. He raced to a 3-0 lead and kept his momentum going, never letting Perricard back into the match. After two and a half hours of play, Rune sealed the win and booked his place in the last eight.
