Holger Rune and Matteo Berrettini faced each other recently at the Cincinnati Open, and now they will meet again at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
The two protagonists of the second-round blockbuster at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai are a fascinating matchup on paper because they are two players who have similar inclinations on the court but play quite differently.
Rune is an aggressive baseliner, but he's no stranger to trying anything to win. That's his main strength—the desire to win. He'll serve and volley if he has to. He'll sit behind the baseline if he has to, but he generally likes to control the points and win them directly.
Berrettini is a huge server and, with that in line, mostly relies on his serve doing a good amount of damage before he can finish off points. His forehand is massive, which is why he's called 'The Hammer,' but besides that, he also has a decent slice, which can neutralize rallies quite effectively.
Neither has had the most amazing season, even though Berrettini's season is far better than that of Rune. He still battles physical issues from time to time, but at least he won some trophies this year.
Rune has been solid lately, with some decent performances in Tokyo. Berrettini hasn’t played that well lately, but he won his first match in Shanghai and had a good run in the Chinese city many years ago. What has changed since then is the court speed; it's not as fast anymore, and that's why Rune is likely favored in this match.
Their most recent match happened at the Cincinnati Open, which is a quick hard court, and Rune was able to win that one without too many problems. That's what makes the Dane so good; he's kind of a Swiss army knife, capable of playing well in both quick and slower conditions.
Rune generally has had good success against Berrettini. They played on both quick and slow hard courts, and both times, the Danish player was able to win the match, so it might just be a matchup problem for the Italian.
Rune is also quite mobile on the tennis court, which might give Berrettini further problems. The form ahead of this meeting is, once again, on Rune's side, as he played solid tennis at the Japan Open.
Berrettini, on the other hand, retired in Tokyo, but he had a better year overall. It's a very tight matchup that will come down to a few rallies. If Berrettini serves well and gets many short balls back, he will have a chance to do some damage.
If Rune returns well, he will make Berrettini work, which might not work out as well as the Italian hopes.
| Holger Rune | Matteo Berrettini | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | H2H | 1 |
| 14 | Rank | 44 |
| 21 | Age | 28 |
| 36-20 | 2024 W/L | 27-8 |
| 130-82 | Career W/L | 183-94 |
Rune generally has a good chance of winning this match, especially with his recent surge. If the courts in Shanghai had the old speed, then Berrettini's serve would have been tough to deal with, but now that the courts have been slowed down, Rune will have a decent chance.
Prediction: Holger Rune to win in two sets.