Rune Returns After Rain For Maiden Wimbledon Win

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The London rain may have forced Holger Rune to be patient in pursuit of his first main-draw win at Wimbledon, but the Dane wasted no time completing the job against George Loffhagen on Wednesday afternoon.

Having claimed the opening set in a tie-break on Tuesday before play was suspended due to rain, Rune stayed rock-solid upon resumption on No. 3 Court for a 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2 victory against the British wild card Loffhagen. The Dane fended off three break points in the opening game of the second set before raising his level for a two-hour, eight-minute first-round triumph.

“It means a lot, it’s a great feeling,” said Rune in his on-court interview. “When you enter a tournament it’s cool to come back with good memories. For sure I hope to bring better memories than last year. I’m super happy with the first round. It was not easy, I had to find my level, and I’m happy to be through.”

With his win against the World No. 371, Rune became the first Danish man to record a Wimbledon singles match win since Kenneth Carlsen reached the third round in 2004. The 20-year-old sixth seed is competing in just his fifth professional event on grass but showed his promise on the surface two weeks ago by reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 500 at The Queen’s Club.

Now 34-12 for the season, the four-time ATP Tour titlist Rune will take on Roberto Carballes Baena or qualifier Matteo Arnaldi in the second round.