Rune kicked off his new season with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Max Purcell in the first round on Monday, January 1. It was the Dane’s first victory on the circuit since the arrival of Roger Federer’s former coach, Severin Luthi.
Rune crashed out of the group stage of the ATP Finals, but with a strong coaching staff including support from six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker, the Dane will look to improve his game from ATP 250 event in Brisbane.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko beat Luka Van Asscha 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the second round. Even if the Russian did not manage to convert all his break points, he remained very good on his serve and won comfortably. Shevchenko equalized the score in the confrontation with Van Asch – 2-2.
The Russian ended the 2023 season on a high note, reaching the final of the Moselle Open, beating compatriot Karen Khachanov in the semi-final. But he failed to win the tournament: in the main match of the tournament, Shevchenko lost to Frenchman Hugo Humbert.
The paths of Rune and Shevchenko in ATP tournaments have not yet crossed. Thus, the score of personal matches remains 0:0.
Prediction for the match between Holger Rune and Alexander Shevchenko
Rune’s powerful serves are a huge plus for Holger. The Dane made 12 aces against his opponent’s six in the first round. His hard court performance also deserves praise.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko also has a strong serve. He won 74% of his first serve points against Van Assche in the first round. But it won’t be easy for Runa to win, considering the Russian’s play lately. The match should be difficult, but Rune has more experience, he has 2 victories on hard court, and the opponents were Novak Djokovic (Paris 2022) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Stockholm 2022). The Dane is the favorite, but Shevchenko can win the set.
Forecast: Rune to win in three sets.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
translation of foreign sources
Source: Sport
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