Holger Rune captured first tour-level win on grass Tuesday when he moved past Maxime Cressy 7-6(4), 7-6(3) at the Cinch Championships in London.
The Dane went 0-3 on the surface in 2022 but did not have to wait for his maiden victory on grass in 2023, clawing past the American in one hour and 58 minutes to improve to 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.
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In windy conditions in London, the second seed rallied from 2-5 in the first set. He was forced to remain patient on return in the second set, but hit a range of winning passing shots against the incoming Cressy to set a second-round meeting against British wild card Ryan Peniston.
The 20-year-old Rune now holds a 31-11 record on the season, highlighted by his run to the title in Munich.