Holger Rune is the newest ATP Tour-level champion after the young Dane lifted his first trophy at the 2022 Munich Open.
The teenager enjoyed a very interesting week at the Munich Open, during which he didn't lose a set throughout the tournament and defeated the first-seeded Alexander Zverev, but he was also forced to withdraw from the 2022 Madrid Open and saw his opponent retire in the final.
Despite all the awkward events, there's no doubt about the high level that Rune was showing throughout the week. He started with a solid victory against young Czech Jiri Lehecka, winning 7-6(4), 6-3.
In the second round of the ATP 250 tournament, the Danish youngster outlasted the first-seeded Zverev, who said he played his worst match in seven years.
After announcing his withdrawal from the Madrid Open, because of the clash in the schedule with the tournament in Madrid, he showed that he probably deserved his spot at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament from which he had to withdraw, as he destroyed another youngster, Emil Ruusuvuori.
In the Munich Open semi-finals, Rune defeated another home player, Oscar Otte, easily 6-4, 6-4 to set up the final against Botic van de Zandschulp.
Early in the final, Rune found himself 1-4 down to the Dutch player, being close to losing his first set of the week. However, he quickly regained the lost break, and the scoreboard showed 3-4.
But then, van de Zandschulp player encountered health problems and took an almost 15-minute medical timeout. After coming back to the court, the eighth seed played four rallies, but he assessed that he wouldn't be able to continue and retired, handing Rune the first ATP title.
Despite winning his first title through a retirement, it's clear that Rune is a player to watch, as he'll significantly improve his ranking after the tournament, avoiding problems like he had with the Madrid Open this week.
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