Fourth in the world rankings Holger Rune surprisingly failed in the first round at the US Open in New York. On Monday, the Danish tennis youngster lost to the unseeded Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 4: 6, 6: 4, 3: 6, 2: 6. Former title holder Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, survived the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in over two years.
The 2020 winner won 6: 3, 6: 2, 6: 4 against Kazakh Alexander Bublik, who was seeded in 25th place in New York.
Rune (20), quarter-finalist at the French Open and Wimbledon this year, probably had to give up due to physical problems. During a medical time-out, Rune had been treated in the thigh in the third set.
Last year’s finalist Casper Ruud (Norway), who defeated Rune in the quarterfinals of the French Open, made his second round match against the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang perfect a little later.
The arduous 7: 6 (7: 5), 3: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 5) over local hero Emilio Nava was his 200th victory on the professional tour. Frances Tiafoe, tenth in the world rankings, had fewer problems with his opening hurdle and gave his compatriot Learner Tien no chance at 6: 2, 7: 5, 6: 1.
“It’s very special because it’s been a long time. I couldn’t think of a better place than here with all the memories,” said Thiem, who reached the second round of the US Open for the seventh time. The last time he did this at Grand Slam level was in January 2021 at the Australian Open.
For Thiem, who snatched the possible first Grand Slam title of his career from Alexander Zverev in the final in 2020, the victory was a liberation. Today’s number 81 in the world has dropped to 352 in the ATP rankings in recent years due to a persistent wrist injury.