Holger Rune slows the defending champion Ruud and goes for everything in Barcelona | ATP Tour

Barcelona

Rune slows the defending champion Ruud and goes for everything in Barcelona

The Danish will look for the final against Khachanov

April 18, 2025

Holger Rune squeezes his fist, roars and let his racket speak for him. Thus, the sixth standard head, was imposed by 6-4 and 6-2 to the title defender, Casper Ruud to advance this Friday to Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

By adding his third consecutive victory against rivals in the Top-10 (also Tsitsipas and Medvedev, on the way to the Indian Wells final), Rune expanded to six his streak of victories in the quarterfinals, which dates back to Cincinnati last year.

This time, despite his young 21-year-old, the Danish showed a superior repertoire on the court: he not only dominated from the background, he also demonstrated his tactical ability to advance to the network when necessary, highlighting for an intelligent game of looting and volley that allowed him, for example, to maintain the serve for the 2-0 in the second set.

“This triumph means a lot, today it has been a very good game,” said Rune, who improved 14-9 in 2025. “I was hitting from the bottom and feeling well. I have played in the right way and I am very happy to have been able to finish it. He made it difficult for me, he is a great player. I think I played in my conditions and I was really explosive, that is how I want to play.”

On the other hand, although Ruud arrived with an advantage of 6-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2head to Friday against Rune, the last champion could not find his game, making 29 united errors during the 87 minutes that the game lasted.

The Norwegian will leave Barcelona having fallen five positions until No. 15 at the PIF ATP Live Ranking.

In its 23rd semifinal at the ATP Tour (10-12), Rune will now face Karen Khachanov, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4 and 7-5 in one hour and 45 minutes. Khachanov, 28, who disputes his third semifinal in whipped land, traced five consecutive games from 2-5 and saved a set of set in the second manga.

Despite the defeat, for the Spanish it has been a positive week, after reaching two ATP Tour finals in Delray Beach and Acapulco, and the semifinals in the 1000 Masters of Montecarlo last week. Thus, Davidovich Fokina is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin.