The 6th seed Holger Rune will play in the last 16 at Roland Garros for the second straight year. The 20-year-old Dane took down a qualifier Genaro Alberto Olivieri 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in an hour and 58 minutes to pass the opening week and remain on the title course. Holger served at 73% and had the upper hand behind the first and second serve. He lost serve three times and turned 57% of the return points into eight return games from 20 opportunities, enough to emerge at the top in under two hours. Rune fired 36 winners and 25 unforced errors, and world no. 231 landed 15 direct points and 25 mistakes to end his run in the third round. Holger tamed his strokes nicely and had the upper hand in the shortest, mid-range and most extended rallies. Genaro Alberto grabbed the encounter’s opening game with a service winner and cracked a forehand down the line winner in the second to create a break chance. The Argentine forced the rival’s mistake with a deep return to make a perfect start and open a 2-0 gap.
Holger Rune is one of the favorites to reach the final from the bottom half.
Rune pulled the break back in the third game and grabbed the next one with a drop shot to level the score at 2-2. Olivieri sprayed a forehand error in the fifth game to drop serve for the second time and push Rune in front. The young Dane held at love in the sixth game to open a 4-2 lead and settle into a fine rhythm. Holger created three break chances in the seventh game and fired a forehand crosscourt winner on the third to deliver his third straight break and forge a 5-2 advantage. The Dane served for the set in game eight and failed to bring it home. Genaro Alberto pulled one break back after Holger’s backhand error to prolong the set. The Argentine held at 30 in game nine before the Dane wrapped up the set with a hold at love at 5-4 after 35 minutes. Rune kept the pressure on his opponent at 1-1 in the second set and seized the fourth break chance to move in front.
Holger saved a break point with a service winner in game four and painted a forehand down the line winner to open a 3-1 gap. The Dane hit a smash winner in the fifth game to secure another break and extend the lead. He saved a break point in game six and delivered his third straight break at 5-1 with a mighty forehand winner for 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 14 minutes. Olivieri broke at the start of the second set, and Rune pulled it back a few minutes later. The Argentine erased a break point with a forehand crosscourt winner in the fourth game before missing a routine forehand two games later to fall 4-2 behind. Olivieri served to stay in the match at 2-5 and faced three match points. The Argentine saved them and held to prolong the action. Holger served for the triumph at 5-3 and sealed the deal at love with a smash winner that propelled him into the last 16.
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