Stefanos Tsitsipas never beat Holger Rune before, but he'll get a chance at the upcoming ATP Finals when he faces him again.
Tsitsipas and Rune are an interesting matchup because Rune seems to give the Greek tremendous problems. On one hand, it's not a huge surprise because the shot-making of Rune can give plenty of players trouble.
Tsitsipas, for the most part, isn't that great when pushed around the court, which the Dane does so well. It doesn't matter if it's the serve and volley or the heavy forehand and the equally tricky backhand; he's a headache to deal with.
On the other hand, we have Tsitsipas, who won the ATP Finals before and likes to play indoors. His main weapon is the serve which puts you under a lot of pressure with the forehand being the go-to finishing move.
Head-to-head:
Even with the weapons, Tsitsipas didn't have a lot of success against Rune in the past. They played two matches so far, and Rune won both of them. One of those even happened indoors, and it was last year in Stockholm.
It was at Rune's peak, and the Dane smoked Tsitsipas comfortably. They're much closer in level now, as neither is playing that well, but the matchup is a genuine problem for Tsitsipas.
Prediction:
That's why I like Rune to win again. There are some ways Tsitsipas can keep him away from finding any rhythm but generally, I do think that Rune will eventually find it. He looked pretty good in Paris, and I just like his shot-making better.
The backhand will be under fire, and I don't see it holding for Tsitsipas. It's just a huge liability that will get and has gotten exploited in the past. So with all that, back Rune to win.
Prediction: Holger Rune to win in two sets.
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