Cincinnati Open 2025: Holger Rune vs Roman Safiullin preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (7) Holger Rune vs Roman Safiullin

Date: August 9, 2025

Tournament: Cincinnati Open

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, USA

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $9,193,540

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

---

Holger Rune vs Roman Safiullin preview

Rune at the 2025 Canadian Open (Image Source: Getty)

Seventh-seed Holger Rune will take on Roman Safiullin in the second round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open on Saturday, August 9. The winner will meet Alex Michelsen or Corentin Moutet in the third round.

Rune has had an inconsistent run on hard courts this year. His best performance came at the BNP Paribas Open, where he finished as runner-up. At the Australian Open, the Dane fell to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the fourth round.

After withdrawing from the Citi DC Open due to lower back pain, Rune's North American hard-court swing eventually commenced at the Canadian Open. At the Masters 1000 event, the 22-year-old defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alexandre Muller in straight sets before falling to Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round. He has earned a first-round bye in Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, Safiullin had a dismal start to the year, suffering opening-round defeats in his first five hard-court outings. He registered his first win of the season at the BNP Paribas Open against Reilly Opelka, but lost to Lorenzo Musetti in the next round.

Following a second-round exit at the Canadian Open, Safiullin started his campaign in Cincinnati against Alejandro Tabilo in the first round. He was clinical with his serves, hitting 11 aces and winning 86% of his first serves as he rallied to a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win.

---

Holger Rune vs Roman Safiullin head-to-head

The head-to-head record is 2-0 in favor of Rune. In their latest meeting at the 2024 ABN AMRO Open, the Dane defeated Safiullin, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, in the first round.

---

Holger Rune vs Roman Safiullin odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Roman Safiullin	+240	+1.5 (-118)	Over 22.5 (-105)
Holger Rune	-325	-1.5 (-120)	Under 22.5 (-140)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM.)

---

Holger Rune vs Roman Safiullin prediction

Safiullin at the 2025 French Open (Image Source: Getty)

Rune's win-loss record for the season stands at 24-15. Despite struggles in his last two hard-court events, the Dane is expected to make a deep run if his recent injuries do not resurface.

Safiullin has won just once over a seeded player on hard this season. Except for the Miami Open, he has never made it past the second round of any hard-court event. Although he looked competent on all fronts against Tabilo in the first round, it will be an uphill task to get the better of the highly skilled Rune.

Hence, Rune is the clear favorite heading into the fixture. His aggressive baseline play, aided by his powerful forehand, could prove too difficult for Safiullin to overcome. The Dane also has the head-to-head advantage over his opponent.

Pick: Rune to win in straight sets.