The 12th seed Holger Rune notched his first victory at the Shanghai Masters. The young Dane faced Matteo Berrettini in the second round and scored a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win in two hours, making a winning start. The Italian kicked off the action with nine comfortable holds, taking the opener before experiencing a break in the closing stages of the second.
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Holger survived an early scare in the decider and rattled off the final three games to emerge at the top and earn a much-needed victory. The younger player produced more efficient numbers behind the first and second serve, fending off two of three break points and delivering two breaks that carried him over the top.
They stayed neck and neck in the shortest exchanges up to four strokes, and Rune forged the win in the more advanced ones, taming his strokes nicely and passing a tricky opponent. The Dane held at love in the first game of the match with a forehand winner, and the Italian responded with a booming serve for 1-1.
The young gun grabbed the third game with a forced error before his rival landed a lob winner a few minutes later, holding at love and leveling the score at 2-2.
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A service winner propelled Holger 3-2 up, and Matteo followed that pace with a forced error in the next one, remaining on the positive side. Rune produced another fine hold in the seventh game with a forehand winner before missing a couple of shots at 4-4.
The 12th seed sprayed a forehand error and faced a break point. He saved it, but Berrettini hammered a forehand winner for the second. The Dane missed a backhand, losing serve and falling 5-4 behind. The Italian served for the opener in game ten and held with a booming serve, wrapping up the set in 36 minutes and moving in front.
There was nothing for the returners to work with in the opening nine games of the second set before Holger changed that at 5-4. The 12th seed held at 15 in the first game, and his rival mirrored that in the next one after attacking with a booming forehand.
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Holger Rune prevailed over Matteo Berrettini in Shanghai.
The young gun fired an ace in the fifth game for a hold at love, and the more experienced player cracked a forehand winner in the next one for 3-3, feeling no pressure behind the initial shot.
They served well in games seven and eight, heading toward a tie break. With no room for errors, Rune produced a comfortable hold in game nine and made his first push on the return in the next one. The Dane stepped in and landed a forehand crosscourt winner to generate three set points.
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Holger seized the second with a forced error, leveling the overall score after an hour and 13 minutes and improving his chances. The Italian created a break opportunity in the first game of the final set, missing it and standing no chance on the rival's serve in the remaining ones.
Rune provided three comfortable holds and led 4-3 before stepping in on the return in the next one. Matteo lost the edge behind the initial shot, spraying a forehand error and pushing his rival 5-3 in front.
Holger served for the win in game nine and landed a smash winner for a match point.
The Dane moved over the top after the rival's slice error, celebrating his first victory in Shanghai and moving into the third round. The US Open finalist Taylor Fritz battled against a qualifier Terence Atmane and prevailed 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and two minutes.
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World no. 161 claimed three points more than world no. 7, although not the most important ones, missing a notable top-10 win. The American denied two of three break chances and scored one break from six opportunities. Fritz denied two break points in the ninth game of the opening set and clinched it in the tie break 7-4.
Taylor could have broke the rival's resistance in the middle of the second set. He broke in the fifth game and generated three more chances at 4-2. Atmane denied them and held, remaining within one break deficit. The Frenchman pulled the break back at love in the eighth game and extended the battle.
The better-ranked player claimed two points at 5-5 in the tie break, moving over the top and passing a challenging obstacle. Frances Tiafoe ended his poor run with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the home player Yi Zhou in 64 minutes.
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The American served at 75% and dropped ten points behind the initial shot. He saved the only break point he played against and delivered three breaks, making a strong start and moving over the top with a break at 4-4 in the second set.
