Holger Rune was able to find his top level again. He brought it to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
Rune and Tsitsipas had one thing in common only a couple of weeks ago. They both struggled on the tennis court, not playing their best tennis. Since then, both have managed to change that. Tsitsipas won the trophy in Dubai, and Rune has been playing at a very high level in Indian Wells.
As a result of their great form, the two met in the fourth round of the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season. The Greek player beat Thiago Seyboth Wild and Matteo Berrettini to reach this stage, while his Danish opponent overcame two Frenchmen, Corentin Moutet and Ugo Humbert.
Tsitsipas never managed to beat Rune before, so facing the Dane was a proper test of his improved form. The first set was very dramatic, even though the 2022 Paris Masters champion had two break points already in the third game.
Tsitsipas saved both, but he couldn’t do the same thing a few games later at 3-3. Rune broke first and led 4-3. But his opponent returned the favor in the following game, and after eight games, the scoreboard showed a tied score again.
But Rune was the better player in the closing stages of the first set. He broke the Greek player’s serve again and held his serve despite being 0-30 down to win the first set of the match 6-4.
Both players continued serving well also in the second set. In fact, both won their first two service games to 15, never allowing the opponent more than one point.
But that changed at 2-2. Rune found his way to his only break point of the set, and he converted it, which proved to be crucial. Only a few games later, leading 4-3, the 21-year-old faced two break points himself.
Down 15-40 on his serve, Rune produced possibly the shot of the tournament and likely one of the contenders for the shot of the year. With almost no solutions left after his opponent’s perfect lob, the young Dane played a stunning tweener lob to save the first break point.
Rune then saved the second break point as well, and ultimately, he won the match 6-4, 6-4, ending Tsitsipas’ seven-match win streak to reach the quarter-finals at the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
After the match, Rune admitted that he couldn’t wait to see his great shot but also felt good about his performance.
“I think the tweener is more exciting to talk about. That’s the first thing I’m gonna check when I check my phone.”
“It feels very good. It was an extremely good match from my side from start to finish. I stayed committed on my game plan. Mentally I was very very good. I think that’s what made the difference, how composed I stayed. Obviously Stef is back in shape, I think that’s fair to say. It was a cool battle.”
