Holger Rune showed strong form just ahead of the US Open, beating American Alex Michelsen 7-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round at the Cincinnati Masters.
The Danish player, seeded 7th and ranked 9th in the world, had a tough first set. Michelsen broke Rune early and went 3-1 up, but Rune quickly bounced back to level it at 3-3.
Later in the set, Michelsen had a 40-0 lead on his serve at 4-4, but Rune created three break points, though the American saved them all. The set eventually went to a tiebreak, where Rune stepped up and took control, while Michelsen started to look frustrated.
In the second set, Rune broke Michelsen’s serve early to lead 2-0 and then extended it to 3-0. Michelsen looked tired and struggled with the heat. Rune had one match point at 5-2 but didn’t convert it. He eventually finished the match on his third match point while serving.
Rune, who made it to the semi-finals in Cincinnati last year, will next play either Frances Tiafoe (ranked 14th) or Ugo Humbert (ranked 25th).
