Stéfanos Tsitsipás was surprisingly eliminated on Monday in the eighth finals of Roland Garros. The number four in the world was no match for the nineteen-year-old Dane Holger Rune, who beat him in four sets. Later in the evening, Andrey Rublev, like Rune, reached the quarterfinals.
Rune won 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4 against Tsitsipás in a match of about three hours at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris. The tennis talent struck on his first match point.
Despite his status as a top player, 23-year-old Tsitsipás is still waiting for his first Grand Slam title. Last year he reached the final of a Grand Slam for the first time at Roland Garros. He then lost to Novak Djokovic.
Rune is only in his third Grand Slam tournament. The number forty in the world did not make it past the opening round in his previous two participations (last year at the US Open and early this year at the Australian Open).
In the battle for a semi-final spot, Rune will meet Casper Ruud in Paris. The Norwegian number eight in the world settled earlier in the day with Hubert Hurkacz, the global number thirteen. It was 6-2, 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3.
Rublev took advantage of a withdrawal from Jannik Sinner. The twenty-year-old Italian had won the first set 6-1, after which he lost the second set 6-4. In the third set Sinner decided to stop the fight at a 2-0 deficit due to a knee injury. The last match in the eighth finals is scheduled for Monday evening with Marin Cilic-Daniil Medvedev.
Holger Rune is only in his third Grand Slam tournament.
Holger Rune is only in his third Grand Slam tournament. Photo: Reuters
Rojer semi-finalist in doubles
Jean-Julien Rojer secured a place in the semi-finals in doubles. Together with Marcelo Arévalo from El Salvador, he was too strong for Rafael Matos from Brazil and the Spaniard David Vega Hernández with 7-6 (6) and 6-3.
Forty-year-old Rojer reached the semi-finals in Paris twice before: in 2012 and 2015. Both times the final was out of reach.
This time there may be a duel with his compatriot Matwé Middelkoop, who will play in the quarterfinals with Rohan Bopanna from India. Wesley Koolhof is also still active in doubles, together with Briton Neal Skupski.