Holger Rune will compete in his ninth Masters 1000 quarter-final in Indian Wells. The 12th seed faced an in-form 8th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and delivered a 6-4, 6-4 victory in an hour and 28 minutes on a rainy day in the desert.
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Holger ousted Stefanos for the fourth time in as many encounters, extending his domination over the Greek. The young Dane will have a chance to reach the semi-final and remain on the title course after facing Tallon Griekspoor in the last eight.
Rune and Tsitsipas left the court on Stadium 1 after five points! They returned 50 minutes later and brought the encounter home without further issues. The Dane collected 15 points more and prevailed in the pivotal moments to seal the deal in straight sets.
Holger dropped 17 points in ten service games, defending five of six break points and mounting the pressure on the other side. The Dubai Open champion could not make a proper response, losing 43% of the points in his games and suffering three breaks from five chances presented to his opponent.
Rune landed 22 winners and unforced errors. He left Tsitsipas on a 17-19 ratio and forged a slight advantage in service winners, from the baseline and at the net. Stefanos netted a forehand in the third game of the duel and faced two break points.
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He denied them with fine hitting and avoided an early setback. The Greek closed the fifth game after a deuce following a massive forehand error from his opponent. However, Holger stepped in on the return at 3-3.
The 21-year-old passed his rival with a forehand down the line winner, securing a break and forging a 4-3 advantage. The 8th seed bounced back in the next one, landing a forehand down the line winner and returning to the positive side of the scoreboard.
However, Tsitsipas could not get into a driving seat. Rune made another push on the return in game nine and cracked a forehand down the line return winner that provided a break at love for him. The younger player served for the opener at 5-4.
He drew Stefanos' mistake for a hold at 30, notching the first part of the duel 6-4 in 45 minutes. The second set started with four comfortable holds as Holger locked the result at 2-2 with a service winner. Tsitsipas squandered a 40-15 advantage in the fifth game.
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The Dane found his strokes and painted a forehand crosscourt winner for a break point. The Greek got broken after a volley error at the net, finding himself a set and a break behind. Rune clinched the sixth game with a backhand winner at the net, cementing the lead.
The 12th seed played a loose forehand in game eight, offering his rival two break chances that could have turned the tables. Holger denied the first after a brilliant tweenerand welcomed the rival's backhand error on the second. The 21-year-old held for 5-3 and served for the win at 5-4.
Stefanos sprayed a backhand error and presented his rival with three match points. Rune seized the first with a fine attack and a forced error, moving over the top and entering the last eight.
