On Friday, Dane Holger Rune will take on World No. 74 Marton Fucsovics opening his campaign at the Miami Open presented by Itau, aiming to go the distance in the second Masters 1000 of the season.
The Danish teenager stands at World No. 8, having reached the semifinals in Montpellier and Acapulco before falling to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the third round at the BNP Paribas Open, held last week in Indian Wells.
Ahead of his first-rounder, the 19-year-old commented: “I’ve done that pretty well here [in Miami]. We’ve had a lot of good practice sessions. I feel ready, ready to go out there and have fun. It’s the last hard-court tournament before the clay season, so I’m just going to enjoy it as much as I can.”
In 2022, the Gentofte native meteorically rose to the Top 10, winning all his three ATP career titles.
Early in January, he broke into the Top 100 to never look back despite finding a bumpy road on his way to the top.
By May, Holger lifted his maiden ATP crown at the BMW Open by American Express, which led him to enter the Top 50.
He remained in the spotlight, displaying high-quality tennis to reach the quarterfinals at the French Open, falling to eventual runner-up Casper Ruud in a hard-fought four-setter.
By June, he was sitting at World No. 28 but dropped to World No. 33 by August, as the defeat in Roland Garros did not settle well with the young star.
From Halle to Cincinnati, he exited early in nine consecutive tournaments, including Wimbledon.
In September, the U.S. Open became the perfect stage to bounce back, advancing to the major’s third round before seventh seed Cameron Norrie halted his campaign on American soil.
Continuing to improve his game, he made it through the quarterfinals at the Moselle Open, finished as a finalist in Sofia, and stunned top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets at the Stockholm Open championship match, adding a second ATP 250 title to his name.
Showcasing great consistency in his game, he wrapped up his run at the Swiss Indoors Basel, moving into the final, where he lost to third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, ahead of an impressive run in the City of Lights.
In November, he captured his maiden trophy at Masters 1000 level at the Rolex Paris Masters, upsetting six-time champion Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to crack into the Top 10 for the first time in his career the following Monday.
As a result, he became the first alternate at the season-ending prestigious event, the Nitto ATP Finals, staged in Turin, Italy, completing a breakthrough season in style.
Holger and Fucsovics have not faced one another before at tour level.
For his part, the Hungarian player achieved his best result thus far into the 2023 Tour season at the Australian Open, exiting in the third round after a five-set battle against Italian Jannik Sinner.
Speaking about the Miami Open, Rune outlined: “I’ve played almost all the biggest tournaments in the main draws now.”
“This is a very special tournament, so it’s definitely one I would like to see myself win in the future. It’s a great event, I really enjoy being in Miami, and I cannot wait to start.”
The Miami Open presented by Itau runs from March 22 to April 2 at the Hard Rock Stadium.