Worth the wait! Rune sinks Musetti to break new ground in Indian Wells

He may only be one match into his BNP Paribas Open campaign, but Holger Rune is already into uncharted territory at this year's edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The seventh-seeded Dane rode a fast start to a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory against Lorenzo Musetti on Monday afternoon to reach the fourth round in Indian Wells for the first time. Rune held firm in the face of some fierce second-set resistance from Musetti, ultimately wrapping a 96-minute triumph in which he won 82 per cent (31/38) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Brought his A-game 💯 @holgerrune2003 takes out Musetti 6-2 7-6(5) and advances to R4 of Indian Wells for the first time! @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/dwL6N3PV0M

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 11, 2024

Rune was making his first appearance of the tournament in Tennis Paradise after his opening opponent Milos Raonic was forced to withdraw from the pair’s second-round clash. The No. 7 in the PIF Rankings, Rune took little time to settle into the desert conditions against Musetti in southern California, where he raced to the first set with plenty of aggressive baseline hitting off both wings.

“I felt great,” said Rune in his post-match interview. “Finally, the wait was over. I was so eager to play. On Saturday, when I heard it was a walkover, obviously I wish [Raonic] all the best. I really wanted to play, but that’s how it is. I just got two extra practice days, which is good, and managed to come in in good shape today.”

Danish dominance 💪

Big aggression + execution = winning 👏@holgerrune2003 up on both his 52-week averages:#InAttack 27% (+4%)#ConversionScore 68% (+5%)#TennisInsights | @atptour | @BNPPARIBASOPEN pic.twitter.com/h7V58CLqGM

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 11, 2024

Musetti was chasing his first victory against a Top 10 opponent since he beat Novak Djokovic in Monte-Carlo 11 months ago, and the Italian raised his level to make the second set a better contest. Rune appeared to have fluffed his lines when he netted a simple smash at 4/4 in the tie-break, but the Dane regained his composure to reel off the next three points and seal his win.

“I’m trying to convert as many break points as possible. I was a bit disappointed in the beginning of the second set," said Rune, who let slip three break points from 0/40 in the second game of the second set, when asked what he was looking to improve on. "I thought I maybe could have done better on a few of those, but I’ve got to learn from it.

"Tennis is about taking your chances. Whether you take them or not is going to decide the match most of the time, but I’m happy I could keep composed and finish the tie-break in good form.”

Now 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Musetti, Rune will next prepare for a last-16 clash with 2022 champion Taylor Fritz or the in-form Sebastian Baez.

Another early third-round winner on Monday was Gael Monfils. The Frenchman backed up his second-round upset of Hubert Hurkacz with an epic 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-3 win against 28th seed Cameron Norrie.

Monfils was on the back foot for most of an opening set in which Norrie carved out a remarkable 20 break points, converting just two of them. Although the Briton went on to claim it in a tie-break, the 37-year-old Monfils stuck with him and was rewarded with a memorable three-hour, 12-minute triumph.

One of the highlights of a typically entertaining Monfils performance was the way he clinched the second set. He showcased top-class defensive skills to outlast Norrie in a captivating exchange that had the Stadium 3 crowd on its feet.

“I’ve been working hard and you’re ready for anything to come your way,” said Monfils. “I was battling hard, and Cam played really good, better than me at the beginning, so I had to change, I had to think about it, I had to improve. I was happy that physically I could stay with him and even at the end I felt good.”

Monfils is now 20-13 in Indian Wells, where he reached the quarter-finals in 2016 and 2019. His fourth-round opponent will be ninth seed Casper Ruud or Arthur Fils.