Rune Edges Cerundolo In Roland Garros Thriller

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Holger Rune became a five-set winner for the first time in dramatic circumstances on Monday at Roland Garros, where the sixth seed Dane overcame Francisco Cerundolo and physical issues to clinch a 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) fourth-round victory.

Rune prevailed in a three-hour, 59-minute encounter of fluctuating quality by claiming a nail-biting deciding set on Court-Suzanne-Lenglen. The Dane had failed to serve out the match at 5-4 earlier in the set but overcame that disappointment with a steely Match Tie-break display.

The match that had EVERYTHING!@holgerrune2003 wins a tough 5 set rollercoaster against Cerundolo 7-6(3) 3-6 6-4 1-6 7-6(7)!@rolandgarros | #rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/WknzTTNVVr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2023

Rune is now 1-2 in five-set matches. At January’s Australian Open, the Dane let slip two match points before falling to a fourth-round Match Tie-break defeat against Andrey Rublev. The World No. 6 cited that experience as key to his ability to handle the pressure against Cerundolo.

“I had a heartbreaking loss in Australia, where I had this situation,” said Rune in his on-court interview. “I served for the match and lost and ended up in a Match Tie-break like this, so actually I told myself when we started the Match Tie-break [today] just to relax and play tennis and enjoy [it].

“Moments like this stay with you forever, no matter if you win or lose, you just go and enjoy and try to play your best, so I enjoyed every moment.”

The 20-year-old Rune will take on fourth seed Casper Ruud in his second major quarter-final after the Norwegian earlier downed Nicolas Jarry 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5. It will be a repeat of the 2022 last-eight clash between the pair, which Ruud won in four sets.

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After Rune and Cerundolo split the opening two sets, the Dane had moved ahead for the second time in the match by claiming a topsy-turvy third set in which both players struggled to find their best level. Rune appeared in trouble at 0-3 in the fourth set, however, as he called for the physio after reporting a bout of dizziness.

Cerundolo went on to comfortably level the match at two-sets-all but a resurgent Rune stuck with his opponent in a tense decider. He crucially held serve from 0/40 in the eighth game before breaking for 5-4, but Cerundolo’s hammer forehand came to the fore to deny Rune as he attempted to serve out the match.

Rune fell 3/5 behind in the Match Tie-break but won seven of nine points from then on to claim a remarkable win. The four-time ATP Tour titlist’s ability to take his chances ultimately proved key: He converted four of his eight break points overall, with Cerundolo winning just seven of 20.

Despite his defeat, Cerundolo’s maiden fourth-round appearance at a major has lifted the Argentine four spots to No. 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Rune was full of praise for his opponent, who produced stunning winners from the baseline throughout their clash.

”He’s playing amazing, especially on clay,” said Rune. “I think it’s a surface that suits his game very well. He has a big forehand, a big swing. So when he gets the time, as we saw when I was [serving] for the match, he hit two forehand winners and he was just too good. So credit to him, he’s a very nice guy and I wish him all the best.”