Holger Rune defeats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in five-set Wimbledon epic decided in the super tie-break
ATP
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has put an end to his participation in Wimbledon 2023. The Spaniard has fallen against Holger Rune in an absolutely epic match that had to be decided in the super tie-break of the fifth set: 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6(8)-7.
In the first set, Rune started the match on top after getting the first break of the match when they were 3-3. Davidovich would not be able to equalize the match, and even lost the set when he was serving. 3-6 and it was all uphill with the Dane starting the second set on his serve.
In the second set the Spaniard started to react. An early break put him 2-1 ahead. Although Holger Rune tied the set 3-3 in a game in which he needed up to seven break balls, Alejandro Davidovich countered instantly with a break that put him ahead again. The Spaniard held his serve to tie the match 1-1, winning the set 6-4.
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In the third set, Alexander Davidovich Fokina continued to prove to be above the world no. 6, and with another early break (2-1) he took advantage of a moment of slackness of Rune when he was ahead by 5-3 to also take the third set, 6-3 and also without conceding a single break opportunity to the Danish player.
The fourth set forced Holger Rune to go all out, and in the first game of the set he broke Alejandro Davidovich's serve to go 0-1 up. On this occasion it was the Spaniard who could not even tickle his opponent's serve, and without break opportunities he ended up giving up his serve at 4-5 for Rune to force the fifth and final set by 4-6.
A fifth set with a lot of tension and everything to decide did not enjoy any break in the early stages of it. With 5-4 and Davidovich remaining, the Spaniard had up to two match points to seal his qualification for the round of 16, but failed to materialize them. The match that the two players were giving away could not end in any other way than with a 'super tie break' after Rune tied 6-6 the last set.
Davidovich started the super tie break with a 4-1 lead after a mini break when he was tied 1-1 with Rune. Things got even better for the Spaniard as he got another point on the Dane's serve to take a 5-2 lead. Holger Rune reacted and managed to cut it to 6-5, the tension could be cut with a knife.
At 7-5, Davidovich lifted the crowd with the best point of the tournament to take an 8-5 lead. However, when he had everything to win the match, the Spaniard was overcome by nerves and did not win another point. In fact, he gave away the match point to Rune with a serve under the hip that did not come at all to the point. The Dane is through to the round of 16.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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