Rune Kicks Off Title Defence With Dominant Win In Munich

Holger Rune showed no signs of his rapid rise slowing down in the first match at the 2023 Munich Open as he conquered Yannick Hanfmann.

Last year, the young Dane left Munich in a brand-new BMW, which he received after his final opponent Botic van de Zandschulp retired and Rune won his first title on the ATP Tour. Now, the teenager has already a couple more titles in his trophy cabinet and he's ready to add another one in the German city.

After a bye in the first round as the first-seeded player at the tournament, the Dane took on home wild card Yannick Hanfmann in the second round, as the German navigated a first-round clash with Thiago Monteiro from Brazil.

Rune didn't wait around and came out firing in the first set. He broke Hanfmann's serve on his first return game and built a quick 3-0 lead in the first set. The world no. 7 then lost only four points on his service games in the first set, and although he couldn't use the other two break points that he had, it was enough for him to win the first set 6-3.

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One break would have been enough also in the second set, but Rune lost his serve after breaking in the opening game, and so he had to find another opportunity to steal Hanfmann's serve. That came in the seventh game of the second set, and Rune used it.

The German could then break back in the following game, but since he wasn't able to use his chance, the young Dane won the match 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the 2023 Munich Open quarterfinals.

Now, Rune will await a clash with one of two talented players who are able to beat Top 10 opponents on a good day. One of them is the sixth-seeded Lorenzo Sonego and the other is Cristian Garin.

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