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Griekspoor and Rune win at rainy Indian Wells

tennis11 March 2025 23:47| © AFP
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Tallon Griekspoor © Gallo Images

A brief rain delay in the first game was barely a blip for Denmark's Holger Rune in a 6-4, 6-4 victory over in-form Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday at Indian Wells..

Tsitsipas was coming off his first title in nearly a year in Dubai last month, but Rune, ranked 13th, snapped the world No 9's seven-match ATP win streak with an aggressive game that included 22 winners.

Up 4-3 in the second set, Rune saved a break point with a dazzling between-the-legs shot, racing back to the baseline after a Tsitsipas lob and batting the tweener that dropped perfectly to deny the Greek.

"The tweener – that's the first thing I’m going to check when I get back to my phone," Rune said.

Rune, 21, has struggled since his fourth-round run at the Australian Open, but he improved his record against Tsitsipas to 4-0.

MENTALLY VERY GOOD

"Mentally, I was very, very good," Rune said. "I think that's what made the difference – how composed I was able to stay. Obviously Stef is back in shape, so yeah, it was a cool battle."

Rune next faces 43rd-ranked Tallon Griekspoor, who upset top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round.

Griekspoor also made a belated start and waited out a second-set delay in his 7-6 (7/4) 6-1 victory over Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki and women's world No 4 Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina were one game into their third set when play was halted again.

World No 6 Daniil Medvedev was scheduled to open the night session against American Tommy Paul in a rematch of their semifinal last year.

Russia's Medvedev won that match to reach his second straight Indian Wells final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz for the second year in a row.

Paul is one of five US men in the fourth round. Among them unseeded Marcos Giron was also in action on Tuesday taking on 20th seed Arthur Fils of France.

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