Matteo Berrettini and Holger Rune will face each other in the last eight of the 2023 Mexican Open on Friday, March 3.
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The ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco this week saw Matteo Berrettini advance to the quarterfinals via a fairly simple route. He defeated Alex Molcan in the first round (6-0 1-0, retired) without giving up a point, and Elias Ymer, a lucky loser, in the second round, was no match for him (6-3 6-3). The big-serving Italian encountered physical difficulties towards the end of 2022 and had to compete against tough opponents at the United Cup and Australian Open to open the new season. Therefore, his recent straightforward victories in ATP Acapulco could not have come at a better time for him to raise his spirits.
In addition, he had to pull out of a taxing first-round match in Acapulco last year, which forced him to miss nearly three months of action and hurt his performance for the remainder of the season. The former world #6 has an admirable 18-9 record in quarterfinal matches at tour-level competitions. However, with the two defeats to Novak Djokovic at this point, his record drops to 2-3 when he plays top-10 opponents.
Nuno Borges was defeated 6-0, 6-2 by Holger Rune, who dominated the match from start to finish and gave himself the confidence-boosting victory he had been searching for lately. He last delivered a bagel during a match against Emil Ruusuvuori in the ATP Munich 2022 quarterfinals, where he later won his first ATP championship. The young Dane entered the 2023 season full of optimism and confidence, but after a string of discouraging defeats, his spirits began to dwindle. In his first match of the year, against Yoshihito Nishioka, he lost from a set up. Against Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, he blew a sizable lead and lost eight straight games.
| Matteo Berrettini vs Holger Rune | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | March 3, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Mexican Open |
| Stage | Quarter-final |
| Time (India) | 9 am |
| Time (Mexico) | 8:30 pm (Mar 2) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Elias Ymer | 6-3, 6-3 (W) |
| Alex Molcan | Walkover (W) |
| Andy Murray | 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7 (L) |
| Lorenzo Musetti | 7-6, 6-2 (L) |
| Mackenzie McDonald | 6-3, 6-7, 3-6 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Nuno Borges | 6-0, 6-2 (W) |
| Ben Shelton | 7-6, 4-6, 2-6 (W) |
| Gijs Brouwer | Walkover (L) |
| Constant Lestienne | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| Maxime Cressy | 5-7, 7-6, 6-7 (L) |
Leading 1-0 is Matteo Berrettini (three-setter at Indian Wells 2022). Since he last faced his opponent 12 months ago, Holger Rune has advanced over 70 spots in the rankings, won three ATP titles, and amassed a record of 9-5 against top-10 players. This time around, he is anticipated to present an even bigger challenge.
Matteo Berrettini and Holger Rune will face each other in the last eight of the 2023 Mexican Open on Friday, March 3.
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