Rune gets big win over Berrettini at Cincinnati Masters

In the marquee matchup of the Western & Southern Open first round, Holger Rune knocked off wild card Matteo Berrettini 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon.

Berrettini had been riding a 10-match winning streak heading into this event, coming off consecutive clay-court titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel. The Italian started hot in this match as well, taking the first set with the loss of only two games.

However, it was Rune who took control the rest of the way. The 21-year-old Dane reeled off nine of the next 10 games, dominating the second and seizing a 3-0, double-break advantage in the third. Berrettini got one of the breaks back, but Rune held his final three service games with ease to clinch victory.

Berrettini’s loss will leave him unseeded for the upcoming U.S. Open. The world No 42 would have had to reach at least the quarter-finals in Cincinnati to have a chance for seeding at Flushing Meadows.

Rune will face Portuguese qualifier Nuno Borges in the round of 32 on Thursday.

Cincinnati Masters 1000, other first-round results :

• Gael Monfils vs. Alexei Popyrin
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Matteo Arnaldi
• Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Sebastian Korda
• Jack Draper vs. Jaume Munar: wednesday
• Max Purcell vs. Tomas Machac: wednesday
• Nuno Borges beat Adrian Mannarino: 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
• Stefanos Tsitsipas (9) beat Jan-Lennard Struff: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Aleksandar Kovacevic (Q): 6-3, 6-1
• Fabian Marozsan beat Corentin Moutet (Q): 6-4, 7-6 (2)
• Arthur Fils beat Brandon Holt (Q): 6-4, 6-1
• Brandon Nakashima (WC) beat Taylor Fritz (11): 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4)
• Yoshihito Nishioka (Q) beat Miomir Kecmanovic: 6-4, 7-5
• Lorenzo Musetti (14) beat Nicolas Jarry: 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4)
• Ben Shelton (12) beat Reilly Opelka (WC): 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3)
• Jordan Thompson beat Ugo Humbert (13): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
• Alex Michelsen (Q) beat Tallon Griekspoor: 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
• Jiri Lehecka beat Mariano Navone: 7-6 (3), 6-3
• Frances Tiafoe beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: 6-3, 7-6 (6)
• Luciano Darderi beat Alejandro Tabilo: 6-3, 7-6 (5)
• Sebastian Baez beat Marcos Giron: 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (6)
• Zhizhen Zhang beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: 6-3, 7-6 (4)
• Karen Khachanov beat Francisco Cerundolo: 6-0, 6-3
• Flavio Cobolli beat Tommy Paul (10): 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

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