“I’m not afraid, but excited” – Holger Rune rallies past Dimitrov to set Alcaraz clash in Wimbledon quarter-finals

Entering 2023 without a singles grass court victory to his name has only served to motivate Denmark’s Holger Rune. The 20-year-old continued his rapid ascent on the sports’ slippery surface, notching a comeback from a set and break down to defeat former Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the All England Club on Monday evening.

“It was amazing,” Rune told the crowd on No.1 court, after three hours an 21 minutes of hard-nosed tennis. “It was an incredible match. Grigor is an incredible player and he pushed me to the limit.”

Rune, ranked No 6, will play top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the youngest quarter-final in Wimbledon men’s singles Open Era history.

That milestone was not lost on the Dane, who turned 20 a week before Alcaraz, on April 29.

“It shows that the young players are doing a great job,” he said. “For me it’s cool. For him it’s also cool, I guess. To be able to play quarterfinal against a player that is your same age, at the top of the ranking, feels amazing. I’m really looking forward to that match. I even looked at it when I was in the first round.”

Rune, who saved two match points in his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, continues to excel in the tight spots that are typically the domain of more experienced players at the Grand Slams.

Wimbledon comes but once a year

He says it is all about never giving up.

“I’m fighting until the end, always,” he said. “That’s what I focus on, especially when I’m in tough situations and also I tell myself that there is Wimbledon once a year, so I’m gonna fight until I have a chance to win.”

Ruud, who cracked 46 winners against 27 unforced errors, dialed in his serving and lost just six points in the final two sets. After he claimed the tight second-set tiebreak, he never faced another break point.

Still, he had to work to get past the 21st-seeded Bulgarian in their first career meeting.

"I'm not afraid, but I am excited" 😤

A fearless attitude from @holgerrune2003 heading into a maiden quarter-final at SW19 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/D268BEyu3Y

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2023

No fear, only excitement

Rune, who owns a 1-1 lifetime edge over top-seeded Alcaraz, will look forward to a third clash with the Spaniard.

“Alcaraz has been showing that he’s on top of the world at a very young age. It’s going to tough and I’m looking very much forward to it.

“I’m not afraid, but I’m excited.”

The 20-year-old Dane won against wildcard George Loffhagen (7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2), Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4) and Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the No 31 seed (6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8)) earlier in the tournament.

In the previous rounds of The Championships, Dimitrov, ranked No 24, won against Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro (6-1, 6-2, 6-1), Belarusian Ilya Ivashka (6-3, 6-4, 6-4) and American Frances Tiafoe, the No 10 seed (6-2, 6-3, 6-2).

London (Grand Slam), other last 16 results (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, grass, GBP 16.077.000, most recent results first):

• Carlos Alcaraz vs. Matteo Berrettini: monday
• Novak Djokovic (2) beat Hubert Hurkacz (17): 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4
• Christopher Eubanks beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (5): 3-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Daniil Medvedev (3) beat Jiri Lehecka: 6-4, 6-2 ret.
• Jannik Sinner (8) beat Daniel Elahi Galan: 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3
• Roman Safiullin beat Denis Shapovalov (26): 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
• Andrey Rublev (7) beat Alexander Bublik (23): 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4

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