Another big win for Holger Rune! How id he outplay Stefanos Tsitsipas so easily?

Holger Rune secured an important victory over Stefano Tsitsipas, 6-4, 6-2, reaching the quarterfinals of Indian Wells for the second consecutive year. The Dane showed his ‘dominance’ over the Greek, increasing his head-to-head record to a commanding 4-0.

It was his 17th win against a top-10 player and his 9th appearance in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal, where he won the Paris Masters title and reached two other finals at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open.

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First Set

Just like in Iga Swiatek’s match against Karolina Muchova, Stadium 1 had to suspend the start of the match for several minutes due to rain. Once both players arrived on court, the windy conditions seemed to bother both of them. However, they reached 3-3, with Rune being slightly more dominant on his serve, despite wasting two break points.

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The set was filled with moments of inconsistency from both players. Rune got a break, but Tsitsipas immediately broke back in the next game. At 4-4, Tsitsipas' first serve issues gave Rune a break to love, and he closed out the set with a stronger performance in the key moments.

The Greek became more defensive from the baseline, overwhelmed by Rune’s ball speed and playing many slices that weren’t very effective. Rune hit 13 winners compared to Tsitsipas’ 8 and won 65% of points on his serve, while Tsitsipas only won 50% of his service points.

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Second Set

Rune didn’t lose momentum at the start of the second set, even though Tsitsipas started to win his service games with fewer problems. By 2-2, it seemed like the set could go either way, but as soon as Rune had an opportunity, he took the break and moved ahead for good.

It was a highly mental match in which Rune had to manage his emotions to stay ahead. Serving at 5-3, he gave Tsitsipas two break points—his first of the set—but managed to play impeccably under pressure, surviving two long rallies.

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The Dane held onto his advantage and finished off the victory 6-4, 6-4, in a performance that his rivals will need to take seriously. Rune even improved his serving numbers in the second set—from 68% to 78% in service points won.

A great chance for Rune to continue advancing, as he’s the favourite against Tallon Griekspoor (No. 43) in the next round. However, the Dutchman has already surprised Alexander Zverev (1st seed) and Giovanni Mpetshii Perricard (29th seed) along the way, so he’ll be prepared to cause another upset in the tournament.

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