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Holger Rune put in a dominant performance at the 2023 Italian Open on Sunday, defeating Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 in the third round. However, the win wasn't as easy as it looked, owing mainly due to the noises and chants the crowd had for the 20-year-old.
Playing against the home favorite, the Danish tennis professional was heavily booed at the Grandstand during his entrance, but he kept on walking towards the court with a focused look on his face.
Despite all the loud jibes and jeers throughout the match, Holger Rune managed to get the better of the 35-year-old home hope at Foro Italico. After registering the win, the Dane didn't hesitate to give the crowd a befitting reply either.
Rune admitted that there were just a "couple of guys" who were trying to make him lose focus mid-game and was proud of the way he managed to stay in his zone despite their best efforts. He also took a sarcastic dig at the home supporters by pointng out that their boos "didn't work."
"You know actually, it was a couple of guys who tried to make me lose focus behind the court. But yeah guys, it didn’t work. I stayed in the zone,” Rune said.
He also stated that the crowd behind him was starting to get wild when Fognini came close to sealing the first set. However, staying focused became his key to success against the former World No. 9.
"It was just you know support for him during the match, of course it got closer in the first set and they were [starting] to get wild, as I said before in the match. But again, I played good. You know, I was staying focused and that's all matters." Rune Concluded
Holger Rune sets up meeting with Alexei Popyrin at Italian Open
After recording a comfortable win against Arthur Fils in his Round of 64 fixture, Holger Rune squared off against home favorite, Fabio Fognini in the next round. Playing against the former World No. 9, who defeated Andy Murray in the second round, the Danish showed great persistence.
The first set between the two was a decent fight, as it was the closest Fognini came close to winning a set. However, Rune didn't look down as he sealed the first set with a decisive break of serve. Following the momentum, the second set was an easy deal for the 20-year-old.
In the next round, he'll be facing Australia's Alexei Popyrin, who defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime and Roman Safiullin in his earlier matchups at the Italian Open.
