#NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune wrote another chapter into his standout season on Sunday at the Stockholm Open, where he upset top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his second tour-level title.

The 19-year-old opened his shoulders and hit through the World No. 5 throughout the one-hour, 35-minute clash, firing 20 winners and saving the one break point he faced to earn his third Top 5 win.

The Dane now leads Tsitsipas 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series after defeating the 24-year-old at Roland Garros in June. Rune is up to No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his title run at the ATP 250 event.

“It was an unbelievable match from my side,” Rune said in his on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be difficult, but I just tried to stick to the game plan. I had to play my best tennis today and it was good that I could find the level. I am super happy.

“It was very close to perfection. I was making a lot of returns and playing pretty well behind my serve. Stefanos is an amazing player, who always makes it difficult. It was a super fun match to play.”

In an aggressive display, Rune took the ball early and successfully targeted Tsitsipas’ backhand, outlasting the Greek on the crosscourt exchanges. The 19-year-old also demonstrated great touch around the net, closing points efficiently when moving forward to help him seal his memorable win.

Earlier this season, Rune clinched his maiden tour-level trophy in Munich, where he defeated then-World No. 3 Alexander Zverev en route to the crown. With his victory over Tsitsipas, the 19-year-old has become just the second teenager to win multiple tour-level titles this year, joining Carlos Alcaraz.

Rune will look to finish his season strongly. He will compete in Basel next week before he takes to court at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals – to be held from 8-12 November – for the second consecutive season.

Tsitsipas was aiming to win his 10th tour-level title and third this season, having tasted success in Monte Carlo and Mallorca. The Greek lifted the trophy in Stockholm on debut in 2018, but was unable to overcome Rune in a heavy-hitting clash.

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek held their nerve in a Match Tie-break for the second time in as many days on Sunday to clinch the Tennis Napoli Cup in dramatic fashion.

The top seeds prevailed 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 against Matthew Ebden and John Peers in Naples by reeling off four points in a row to recover a 6/8 deficit in the decider. Despite their Australian opponents having the momentum for much of the second half of the championship match, Dodig and Krajicek found a late surge to wrap an 84-minute win and lift their second tour-level crown of the year.

“It was very difficult,” said Dodig after the match. “In doubles a lot of matches are decided by a few points. Today, like yesterday, I think we connected good shots in big moments, and it was the key. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but we have felt great these last two weeks, we’ve played really good tennis and have a lot of confidence, and I think that was the main reason for the win.”

Having reached the final in Florence a week ago, Dodig and Krajicek dropped just seven games across their opening two rounds at the ATP 250 event in Naples. They then edged Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori 11/9 in a Match Tie-break in Saturday’s semi-finals before downing Ebden and Peers in the championship match.

“I think Ivan and I played well throughout the two weeks,” said Krajicek. “Different conditions obviously, indoors [in Florence] and outdoors here, so we did a good job adjusting. Tough one in the final last week, Eddie (Edouard Roger-Vasselin) and Nico (Nicolas Mahut) played really well, but we were excited to give ourselves another chance here, and in the big moments there at the end I think we played well and fortunately we came through there.”

Sunday’s win bolstered Dodig and Krajicek’s outside chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals in their first season as a full-time partnership. It lifted the Croatian-American pairing two spots to 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp completed their dream week at the European Open in style Sunday when they defeated second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.

In a hard-fought clash, the Dutchmen fired eight aces and held their nerve in the crucial moments, pulling away from 3/3 in the Match Tie-break to triumph after 68 minutes in Antwerp.

Before arriving in Belgium, Griekspoor and van de Zandschulp had not won a tour-level match as a team this season, holding a 0-4 record. However, they dropped just one set en route to the title as they turned the tables in dramatic fashion in Antwerp.

The 26-year-old Griekspoor and the 27-year-old van de Zandschulp were both competing in their first tour-level doubles final. Griekspoor’s best result prior to this week was a run to the quarter-finals in Gstaad in 2021 and Kitzbühel in 2022. Van de Zandschulp advanced to the semi-finals in Doha earlier this season with Mackenzie McDonald.

Bopanna and Middelkoop were aiming to win their second tour-level title as a team, after lifting the trophy in Tel Aviv earlier this month.

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer captured their fourth tour-level title of the season Sunday at the Stockholm Open, where they overcame third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 6-3, 6-3.

In a strong display, the top seeds broke three times and won 79 per cent (15/19) of points on their opponents second serve to triumph after 67 minutes at the ATP 250 event.

Arevalo and Rojer were competing for the first time since they reached the semi-finals at the US Open in September. However, they showed little sign of rustiness in Stockholm, dropping just one set en route to the title.

Earlier this season, the pair won tour-level crowns in Dallas and Delray Beach before they clinched their maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros. The Salvadoran-Dutch team will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in November after they secured qualification for the prestigious end-of-year event last month.

Glasspool and Heliovaara are currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on 3,240 points. They are 570 points ahead of ninth-placed team Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

Felix Auger-Aliassime did not create a break point on Saturday against Richard Gasquet, but still progressed to his second ATP Tour final in as many weeks by dominating two tie-breaks in a 7-6(2), 7-6(3) win at the European Open.

After claiming his second tour-level title last week in Florence, Auger-Aliassime will face Sebastian Korda on Sunday in Antwerp as he contests his 12th tour-level final. He will seek to extend his winning streak to eight matches and further solidify his seventh-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he chases his Nitto ATP Finals debut.

“It was the most difficult match this week so far,” said the second seed, who came from set down to defeat Daniel Evans in the quarter-finals. “If I didn’t serve the way I did it would have been really tough to win. My serve helped me tremendously to get through my service games easily and then, after, giving myself chances.

“But he was playing really good. He’s still playing so well after so many years on the Tour. All credits to him for pushing… He’s been a great leader in our sport and a great example.”

In a high-level and fast-paced semi-final, neither man saw a break point until Gasquet earned a look at 5-5 in the second set. But Auger-Aliassime was up to the task as he powered through to hold and then commanded the second tie-break to seal victory.

Firing 22 aces and winning 85 per cent (44/52) of his first-serve points, the Canadian built early leads in both tie-breaks, buoyed by confidence from his serving success. He raced to a 5/0 lead in the first-set tie-break and led 3/1 in the second tie-break, staying perfect on serve in both against the veteran Frenchman.

Auger-Aliassime will seek to win his third tour-level trophy of both this season and his career on Sunday following triumphs in Rotterdam and Florence.

Stefanos Tsitsipas delivered a clinical semi-final showing on Saturday at the Stockholm Open, where he eased past Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2 to maintain his unbeaten record at the ATP 250 event.

The top seed broke Ruusuvuori’s serve five times in the pair’s maiden tour-level meeting, finding consistency behind his groundstrokes to overpower the Finn in 74 minutes. The win improved Tsitsipas’ record in Stockholm to 7-0, and the Greek will hope to seal a second title at the hard-court event when he returns on Sunday for the championship match against Holger Rune.

“[It was] a great match from my side, I think I played very well,” said Tsitsipas after his victory. “I was really focused, [it was] one of the matches where I was really into the game and I was able to produce some really good tennis throughout the entire match, pretty much. I was there, I was very daring, I was really going for it, and it worked in my favour.”

Tsitsipas has shown no nerves upon returning to compete in Stockholm for the first time since 2018, when he lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in the Swedish capital. He has not dropped a set in moving past Maxime Cressy, home favourite Mikael Ymer and Ruusuvuori, and he believes that his past success at the event has helped him find his best level this week.

“I’ve created some good memories here,” said Tsitsipas. “2018 was the year that I got my first title here. Of course, I love good things in the back of my head. I’ve had some good interactions with the crowd, the people here are lovely, and I’m enjoying the Swedish hospitality.”

Saturday’s victory was a Tour-leading 56th of the 2022 season for Tsitsipas, who has already booked his place at November’s Nitto ATP Finals. He has now reached seven tour-level finals this year, the joint-most alongside World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Sunday’s clash against Rune will be an opportunity for Tsitsipas to avenge his four-set fourth-round defeat to the #NextGenATP Dane in May at Roland Garros. The World No. 5 admitted he sees some similarities between himself and Rune, who will be competing in his third tour-level final of the year.

“We are both big fighters,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m going to try to give my best out there on the court. Holger is someone that has been developing and doing well recently. We have played plenty of times against each other, more on the practice court, and I’m looking forward to that battle.”

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek advanced to their second straight ATP Tour final with a Saturday victory in Naples. After a deep run last week in Florence, the Croatian-American pair will now play for its second title of the season at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The top seeds edged Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori 6-7(8), 6-3, 11-9 to reach their fifth tour-level final of 2022. The Lyon champions sit 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they chase a Top 7 place which would guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Now on 2,500 points, Dodig/Krajicek will need to continue their strong form in Basel and Paris in order to close what is currently a 650-point gap to seventh place. They can add 100 points to their tally in Sunday’s final, where they will met third-seeded Aussies Matthew Ebden and John Peers.

Ebden/Peers advanced to the final with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Nikola Cacic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Dutch Delight In Antwerp
Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor continued their unseeded run at the European Open with a 6-3, 6-4 against Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Prior to downing the fourth seeds in Saturday’s semi-finals, the pair opened its Antwerp campaign with an upset of top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

They will look to continue their perfect run on the week by winning a fourth straight-sets match in the final against second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop, who advanced on Friday with a 7-6(6), 2-6, 10-7 win against Dutchmen Sander Arends and David Pel.

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Top Seeds Strong In Stockholm
Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo excelled in the clutch moments to defeat fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday at the Stockholm Open.

The top seeds, who opened their campaign with a Match Tie-break win, await the winner of the second semi-final which pits third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara against Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti.

Sebastian Korda won a semi-final thriller at the European Open Saturday when he rallied from a break down in the third set to edge Dominic Thiem 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) at the ATP 250 event.

The American recovered from losing a tight first set as he held his nerve and maintained his focus in the crucial moments to advance to his second tour-level final of the season after two hours and 47 minutes.

In his first ATP Head2Head meeting against the Austrian Thiem, Korda hit 49 winners, won 72 per cent (49/68) of his first-serve points and broke four times. The 22-year-old will face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the championship match.

More To Follow…

#NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune reached his third tour-level final of the season Saturday when he edged Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 at the Stockholm Open.

The 19-year-old showed his fighting qualities as he battled from a set and a break down against the Australian to advance at the ATP 250 event after two hours and 52 minutes. Rune has now won his past five matches that have gone to a deciding set. He overcame Cameron Norrie in three sets in the quarter-finals in Stockholm.

“It was a brutal match from the beginning to the end,” Rune said in his on-court interview. “Super long rallies. Really exhausting. He takes the ball super early and puts you under a lot of pressure but I am super happy I was able to raise my level towards the end of the second set and I started a bit better than expected in the third. I am super happy with how I fought until the end.”

In an attacking performance, the Dane stepped inside the baseline and fired 45 winners to earn his 28th tour-level win of the season. Rune, currently No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match after the top seed defeated Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2.

Earlier this season, he captured his maiden tour-level title in Munich before he advanced to the final in Sofia. Rune will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in November, having qualified last month.

De Minaur was aiming to reach his second tour-level final of the season after winning the title in Atlanta.

With his back against the wall Saturday, Matteo Berrettini survived to reach the final at the Tennis Napoli Cup. After a slow start, the Italian raised his level on serve to overcome American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.

In a hard-fought clash at the ATP 250 event, Berrettini struggled on serve in the first set and was troubled by a foot injury, receiving a medical timeout at 2-5 in the opener.

However, the second seed stuck to the task at hand and slowly turned the match around. He fired 10 aces and struck 30 winners across the second and third sets to advance after two hours and 25 minutes on home soil.

“I don’t even know how I did it,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “I wasn’t feeling very good. I asked for the physio because my foot was hurting. It happened so many times in my career that I had to fight through so many things, not just thinking about the tennis ball. I didn’t want to retire. My team told me ‘I think you should stop’. But I tried and I found a way.”

With his victory, Berrettini has climbed to 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 2,375 points. The 26-year-old, currently 690 points behind seventh-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, will need a strong end to the season to give him a chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for a third time.

Berrettini, who did not drop a set in his opening two matches in Naples, will face countryman Lorenzo Musetti in the final on Sunday after the 20-year-old maintained his good hard-court form to down Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4.

Musetti reached the semi-finals in his past two tournaments in Sofia and Florence, but he rarely looked in danger of falling at the same stage in Naples, where he found rhythm behind his groundstrokes to dictate play against Kecmanovic. He broke the Serbian’s serve three times en route to an 89-minute win to the delight of the home fans.

“I’m enjoying playing with this beautiful view, on this beautiful court, a lot,” said Musetti after the match. “I think I’m playing my best tennis on hard courts for sure. I’m serving really big, I’ve only [conceded] a break once in three matches and I haven’t lost a set. I’m feeling confident, especially with the serve, and I’m returning pretty well, so I think I did a lot of improvements from last season.”

#NextGenATP star Musetti lifted his maiden tour-level crown in Hamburg in July and is now 29-23 for the season. Currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, he has already secured his spot at November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year, and will now play for his second ATP Tour title in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with his good friend Berrettini.

“Tomorrow we will be rivals for the time on court, and for the time off court we will still be friends, for sure,” said Musetti. “Especially in the last part of the year, we have shared a lot of memories and times together. Especially at the Davis Cup, but even at tournaments we practise a lot together. Even here, today. So we are really close, and tomorrow is going to be a really tough one for both. The winner will take all, but for sure the friendship will remain.”