Holger Rune's qualification for the 2024 ATP Finals looked almost impossible ahead of the Paris Masters, but he's getting closer with each win.
Coming into the last ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season, there were over a dozen players who could have still qualified for the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin. Only the best eight get to play at the year-end championship, and the tournament's prestige and high prize money make it very attractive to play there.
Rune was almost at the end of the list of those who still had a chance to qualify, but right now, he's almost the only player who has his fortune in his hands. The young Dane's 2024 season has been consistent, but he lacked a big result despite recording over 40 wins.
Recently, he finally found another gear, reaching the Swiss Indoors semi-finals, and now he secured the last four spot also at the Paris Masters, a tournament that he stunningly won in 2022, beating Novak Djokovic in the final.
This year, he reached the quarter-final after beating Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Bublik, and Arthur Cazaux, and his quarter-final opponent was fellow ATP Finals adept Alex de Minaur.
The Australian player is much closer to the qualification spot, as he's currently eighth in the 2024 ATP Race, meaning he would secure the last qualifying spot if the race ended today.
However, he won't have his fortune in his hands, as Rune will attempt to take that spot away from him, and he took the first step by winning their quarter-final match in the French capital.
It was a battle worthy of the last ATP Finals spot, as both players gave it their absolute best. Rune had two break points already in the first game of the match, but after failing to use those chances, he had to face a break point himself in the fourth game.
Like his opponent, he was able to save it and use that momentum to create another break point chance in the next game. This time, the Danish youngster was able to use it to lead for the first time in the match, 3-2.
He was then able to hold his serve for the remainder of the set, not allowing De Minaur to come to any more break point chances, which meant that Rune won the first set of the match 6-4.
But De Minaur isn't a player to give up easily, and that was on display in the second game of the match. Both players were nearly perfect on their serve, but while the Australian could remain unbroken during the entirety of the set, his opponent couldn't.
Rune got under pressure when serving to stay in the set, allowing his opponent three consecutive break points. He saved the first one but couldn't save the second, losing the second set 4-6.
Still, he was able to produce a carbon copy of the first set at the start of the third. He first left two break points in the first game unused, just to break in game 5 and lead 3-2.
This time, however, he was immediately broken back, and at 4-5, he was facing the same scenario as in the second set. To stay in it, he had to hold his serve.
He did, and not only that. Despite coming only two points away from losing the match, Rune won the last three games to win the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, and reach the 2024 Paris Masters semi-finals.
His next opponent will be Alexander Zverev. To qualify for the ATP Finals, Rune will need to win the tournament and then likely win also one of the last two ATP 250 tournaments of the season.
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