February 15 – (THEWILL) – World number seven Holger Rune suffered an upset loss on Thursday, to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko at the Rotterdam Open tennis tournament.
The 23-year-old Shevchenko, ranked 57th in the world, claimed the biggest win of his career so far by defeating the third-seeded Dane 6-4 1-6 6-4 in the second round. Shevchenko will now face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.
After letting out a triumphant scream when he held serve to clinch the match, Shevchenko told reporters this was a “breakthrough” win against 20-year-old Rune. He said he was proud of himself and that victories over top players like Rune, and against Medvedev and Sinner in 2023, gave him the experience to find ways to beat them.
The Kazakh admitted he was unsure how to prepare for Dimitrov’s unique playing style but noted that the Bulgarian was in great form. Shevchenko, however, believes he has now matured as a player and made changes to regularly advance in tournaments.
In other Rotterdam Open action, defending Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner of Italy, plays Gael Monfils of France on Thursday, seeking a 12th straight win. Sinner easily won his opening match over Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp. Sixth seed Dimitrov reached the quarter-finals by beating Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-3 7-5.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
