Holger Rune 'happy' to bounce back at Next Gen Finals after Carlos Alcaraz loss

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Rising Danish stat Holger Rune was "very pleased" with his performance against Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Rune, who is enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 109 in the world, beat Cerundolo 4-1 4-2 1-4 4-1 to improve to 1-1 at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

A day earlier, Rune lost to Carlos Alcaraz in his opener at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Rune needed a win over Cerundolo to keep his hopes of making the semifinal in Milan. "I am very pleased,” Rune said in his on-court interview, per the ATP website.

“Yesterday was not easy because Carlos [Alcaraz] played very well and it was a high level. It is never easy when you play well and lose the first two sets. I learned a lot and took all the good things and experience into the match today.

I played aggressively and came into the net, so I was really pleased”.

Rune didn't let Cerundolo create a comeback

Rune made a good start to the match, having claimed the first break of the match in the second game before serving out for the opener in the fifth game.

Rune then broke Cerundolo in the opening game of the second set and held on to his serve the rest of the way to take a two-set lead. Cerundolo saved three break points in the third game of the third set, before earning his first break in the following game.

Cerundolo then served out for the third set in the fifth game. Losing the third set didn't affect Rune, who broke Cerundolo in the fourth game of the fourth set before serving out for the match in the following game. “In the third set I lost focus totally on my service games," Rune said.

"I was close to breaking him at 1-1 and I played to passive, and after that I struggled mentally. Then I tried to regroup as fast as possible and tried to play similar to the first two sets. I found a way and it is good to have a victory before tomorrow”.