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Match Details
Fixture: (4) Holger Rune vs (8) Alex de Minaur.
Date: Friday, March 3, 2023.
Tournament: Mexican Open 2023.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Acapulco, Mexico.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,013,940.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Holger Rune vs Alex de Minaur preview
Fourth seed Holger Rune will face eighth seed Alex de Minaur in the semifinals of the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Friday.
Rune has won nine out of 13 matches so far this season. The Dane reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the Open Sud de France.
He entered the Mexican Open seeded fourth and started the tournament with a 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-2 win over Ben Shelton. Rune then thrashed Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-2 to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Here, the 19-year-old faced Matteo Berrettini in the last eight and cruised through the opening set, winning it 6-0. Rune was leading 1-0 in the second set before the Italian retired from the match due to a leg injury. The Dane thus booked his place in the semifinals of the Mexican Open.
Alex de Minaur, meanwhile, has had a promising start to the 2023 season with 10 wins out of 14 matches so far.
The Aussie started the season at the United Cup where he beat Rafael Nadal but lost to Cameron Norrie. He then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
De Minaur then made back-to-back quarterfinals at the Rotterdam Open and Open 13 Provence, beating Andrey Rublev in the former. He entered the Mexican Open as the eighth seed and booked his place in the quarterfinals with straight-set wins over Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez and Jacopo Berrettini.
The 24-year-old registered a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 win over Taro Daniel to seal his place in the semifinals.
Holger Rune vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head
Rune leads 2-0 in the head-to-head against De Minaur. Their last meeting came in the second round of the 2022 Swiss Indoors in Basel, with Rune winning 6-2, 7-5.
Holger Rune vs Alex de Minaur odds
All odds are sourced from Oddschecker.
Holger Rune vs Alex de Minaur prediction
Holger Rune has looked very strong throughout the Mexican Open and so has Alex de Minaur, who has dropped only eight games so far. While there is a substantial gap in the rankings between the two, the match promises to be an exciting affair.
Rune may not be an ace machine like a John Isner or a Nick Kyrgios but has an effective first serve that has helped him win 73 out of 89 points in Acapulco. He has also managed a respectable 13 aces so far in the tournament. The Dane has hit 20 winners while accumulating 28 unforced errors as well.
Rune is a solid baseliner who hits his shots powerfully from the back of the court. He also possesses a decent net game and will have to be aggressive but composed at the same time if he is to come out on top on Friday.
De Minaur has also been very strong on his first serve throughout the Mexican Open, winning 56 out of 68 points. His winner-count of 59 comfortably outnumbers his unforced error count of 35.
The Aussie's key weapon is his speed and on-court movement, which will come in handy to cope up with Rune's aggression. He will be eager to force the Dane to make mistakes and that strategy might go a long way.
De Minaur has already beaten two top 10 players this season and will be eager to get a third victim in Rune. However, the 19-year-old's current form might just about see him get the win and book his place in the final.
Prediction: Holger Rune to win.
