"I didn't think much after the match, but I definitely have to play a lot better": Holger Rune blames himself after Canadian Open exit

Holger Rune was very self-critical after his elimination from the Canadian Open against defending champion Alexei Popyrin. The Dane seemed to have a good chance in the tournament, especially with the absences of big names like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic, but he was eliminated in the Round of 16.

The world No. 8 arrived as the 5th seed with clear intentions of taking a step forward after a few complicated months. The Dane suffered a surprising first-round defeat at Wimbledon against qualifier Nicolas Jarry and was off the courts for almost a month, with an injury that even forced him to withdraw from the DC Open a week earlier.

The former Paris Masters champion had a good start to the tournament, defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alexandre Muller—both in straight sets—to set up a match with defending champion Alexei Popyrin. The Australian has been impressive in his run to the quarterfinals, eliminating Daniil Medvedev and Rune along the way.

Rune was highly self-critical after the match, admitting he was a step behind his rival. The Dane won 60% of his service points compared to Popyrin's 74%, while in winners, the Australian was also ahead with 29 to Rune's 24. Furthermore, the number of unforced errors was the biggest difference, with Popyrin having 24 and Rune 39.

The former world No. 4 acknowledged that he still has a lot to improve for the rest of the season and was aware that his errors ended up costing him dearly against a convincing Popyrin. "He has a good serve, he pressures very well. He went out to look for it and I didn't, something you have to do," the Dane commented. "I didn't think much after the match. I definitely have to play a lot better. I have to make some better decisions in my game. Once I do that better, I will get better results."

Popyrin secured his ninth consecutive victory at the Canadian Open, in addition to an impeccable 7-0 record against top-20 players. The Australian has shown this week why he won the title in 2024 and remains in contention. His next challenge will be against the first seed, Alexander Zverev, who advanced after Francisco Cerundolo retired due to an abdominal injury in the middle of their Round of 16 match.

A few hours after the match, Rune took to social media to congratulate his rival and wish him well in his title defense. "Good things and bad things tonight. I need to step up. And you go out and defend that title @AlexeiPopyrin99."

Rune's next challenge will be at the Cincinnati Open starting next week, where he will be the 8th seed with the return of Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic. The Dane also risks falling one spot in the rankings if Rublev reaches at least the semifinals of the tournament.

Popyrin's performance in the tournament has shown that his title win in Montreal back in 2024 was no coincidence. The Australian was not even seeded but had a flawless tournament, defeating rivals like Ben Shelton (11th), Grigor Dimitrov (7th), and Hubert Hurkacz (4th) along the way. He defeated Andrey Rublev (5th) in the final with a convincing 6-2, 6-4 to lift his first Masters 1000 title.

In his next challenge, he will face the first seed and world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, with whom he has had three previous encounters, all of which were victories for the German. This time, Popyrin will surely have his best opportunity to beat Zverev, who still hasn't fully found his confidence this season.