Munich (AP) – The Danish tennis youngster Holger Rune won his first ATP title in Munich. In the final, the 19-year-old benefited from the resignation of his Dutch opponent Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 3:4 in the first set.
In the round of 16, Rune had won against top favorite Alexander Zverev. Van de Zandschulp initially took a 4-1 lead and then lost two games in a row. At 4:3 he had the tournament doctor come, kept touching his chest and then left the field. On his return, he played four more points before retiring and leaving the pitch immediately.
“I had breathing problems and it was impossible to play. 30 minutes after my task everything was fine again,” wrote the Dutchman on Twitter in the evening.
For Rune, the title is the biggest success of his young career so far. The Dane is considered one of the hottest tennis talents on the tour and has climbed more than 250 places in the world rankings in the last twelve months. “I played incredible tennis. My first ATP title in front of such a great backdrop. I couldn’t be happier right now.”