Rune does it again three months later and with Becker

The danish Holger Rune took an important step, which is still uncertain, to secure a spot in the top eight of the ATP Finals. He was in danger of staying out of Turin permanently, but that all changed suddenly this week.

From a negative balance of only one win and eight losses to reaching the semifinals of the ATP 500 indoor hard court tournament in Basel. He took eighth place in the world race in the face of harassment from the Pole Hubert Hurkacz.

The two will fight this Saturday. First Hurkacz, against the Frenchman Ugo Humbert. later, Holger Runecompared to Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime or Russian Alexander Shevchenko.

The resurgence of Rune, 20 years old, came at the right time, where in 2022 he shone, placing himself among the best on the indoor hard court. Next week he will defend his crown at the Paris-Bercy ATP Masters 1000.

By now he had done something he hadn’t experienced in three months. Since the beginning of July, when he reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon (he lost to Carlos Alcaraz), he has not won three consecutive victories.

He was left behind in Basel Miomir Kecmanovic, Sebastián Báez and Tomás Martín Etcheverry, whom he defeated in the quarterfinals 6-1, 3-6 and 7-6 (8-6) in 2h.39′. He found himself against Kecmanovic, he was dealing with his new coach, the German Boris Becker who gets up as many times as necessary to support his student in this first week of testing.

Luck was changing, with 6-4 in the tiebreak Rune did not decide. At 6-6, the net tape clearly helped so that a point that should have gone to Argentine Etcheverry turned into a fatal drop shot from him. He raised his arms apologetically, the chance was too strong. Then a double fault from the frustrated Argentine. Definitive.

First Rune semi-finals since Queen’s grass. He doesn’t have top rivals in his path, but he’s racking up losses regardless of the opponent. The sinking is his.