Holger Rune showed his clay-court pedigree on Tuesday at Roland Garros, where he battled to defeat American Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 in his opening match.
The 20-year-old Dane was pushed hard throughout the opening three sets against Eubanks, before he raced clear in the fourth to earn victory after two hours and 50 minutes.
The American came out swinging and stepped forward at every opportunity to force Rune back. The sixth seed did not succumb to the pressure, though, maintaining a high level to clinch his 28th win of the season.
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Rune became the first Danish man to reach the quarter-finals in Paris in 2022 when he advanced to the last eight on tournament debut. The sixth seed arrives at this year’s clay-court major in red-hot form, having reached ATP Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome and triumphed in Munich.
Rune, who is 14-3 on clay this season, will meet Gael Monfils or Sebastian Baez in the second round. The four-time tour-level champion is seeking his first major title in Paris this fortnight.