Rune set to reprise role as villain against home hero Monfils

31.05.2023 - 19:01 channelnewsasia.com

Weeks after Holger Rune attracted the ire of Italian fans in his win over local favourite Fabio Fognini in Rome, the Dane will again be cast in the role of villain as he prepares to take on veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils at the French Open.Rune was booed throughout his straight-sets win over Fognini, but ahead of Thursday's second-round match against Monfils on Court Philippe Chatrier, the fiery 20-year-old appeared untroubled by the prospect of rubbing fans up the wrong way."I think it's normal in life that some people love you and some people don't," sixth seed Rune told reporters after his win over Christopher Eubanks on Tuesday."I just try to put on a fight every time I step out there on the court.

Do my best to win the match. Stay focused. I feel like to do everything I can to win the match is more important than what's happening outside the court."Monfils, a former semi-finalist and three-time quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, opened his campaign with a five-set comeback win over Sebastian Baez.The 36-year-old, who missed much of last season due to heel surgery, will have his fitness truly put to the test by Rune and will need to draw on his deep well of experience against the Dane's fast-paced all-court game."I'm playing full adrenaline, like honestly I asked the crowd to scream, and somehow I juice up," Monfils said after his marathon win on Tuesday."But I hope to have a good night today and tomorrow and heavy recovery, and no matter what, I will be ready for him Thursday (smiling)."Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev, who exited Roland Garros in agony last year after rolling his ankle during his semi-final against Rafa Nadal, will face Slovakia's Alex Molcan.In the women's draw, world number one Iga Swiatek's bid for

tennis as Iga Swiatek Roland Garros Alexander Zverev Rafa Nadal Sebastian Baez Gael Monfils Holger Rune Christopher Eubanks France Italy Rome Slovakia

Carlos Alcaraz came through a gruelling first-round test at Queen’s against lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech, coming from a set down to win in three. The world No. 2 triumphed 4-6 7-5 7-6(3) in two hours and 34 minutes to edge past a player ranked 81 places below him.

French Open: Holger Rune 'needs a bit of that Kyrgios’, says Mats Wilander after slow start against Casper Ruud

Holger Rune “needs mayhem” to produce his best tennis, according to Eurosport expert Mats Wilander. The 20-year-old Dane crashed out of the French Open to Casper Ruud at the quarter-final stage – just like he did last year – after producing a timid display against his Scandinavian rival.

Casper Ruud dominates Rune at French Open to continue clay resurgence

By the midpoint of the clay-court season, even as he navigated his favourite surface, Casper Ruud was still struggling. A year on from his breakout 2022, when he reached the final at the French and US Open tournaments, rising to world No 2, Ruud’s form had collapsed. He played nervous and tight tennis, retreating far behind the baseline, allowing opponents to dominate.

Error-strewn start proved costly, says Rune after quarter-final loss

PARIS : Sixth seed Holger Rune's poor start in his French Open quarter-final defeat to Norway's Casper Ruud on Wednesday proved costly with the Dane littering the court with unforced errors for more than an hour.

French Open 2023: 'There was drama' - Holger Rune and Casper Ruud set to meet a year on from explosive row

Wednesday’s blockbuster match between Holger Rune and Casper Ruud in the French Open quarter-finals will evoke memories of last year’s heated battle between the highly-rated Scandinavians. The pair are set to meet again in a rematch of last year’s fiery last-eight clash when Rune accused Ruud of showing him a lack of respect as a spat between the tennis stars also embroiled their parents. Ad The row erupted when Rune claimed that Ruud gloated in his face after winning 6-1 4-6 7-6(2) 6-3 on the night.