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Fixture: (1) Holger Rune vs Yannick Hanfmann
Tournament: Munich Open 2023
Date: Thursday, April 20
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: English Garden, Munich
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €562,815
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Holger Rune vs Yannick Hanfmann preview
Top seed and defending champion Holger Rune commences his BMW Open title defense against German Yannick Hanfmann.
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The seventh-ranked Rune is coming off a run to the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters last week. He led by a break in the final set against Andrey Rublev, only to blink with the finish line in sight as the Russian won his maiden Masters 1000 title. Nevertheless, the Danish teenager is having a decent season, falling to 17-8 after his defeat in the title match at the Principality.
After making the Australian Open fourth round (lost to Rublev), Rune made the Montpellier semifinals before an early exit in Rotterdam. He returned to winning ways in Acapulco, reaching the semifinals, followed by exits in the third round at Indian Wells and the fourth in Miami.
The Dane has a perfect 5-0 record in Munich, winning the title on his tournament debut last year without dropping a set and beating Botic van de Zandschulp in the final.
Meanwhile, World No. 112 Hanfmann improved to 6-4 in 2023 after seeing off Thiago Monteiro in three sets in his Munich opener. After a trio of losses to open the season, the 31-year-old German made the quarterfinals in Santiago.
Hanfmann then emerged from qualifying to reach the Houston semifinals. The German is 4-2 at his 'home' tournament, reaching the quarterfinals in 2017. However, he failed to emerge from qualifying last year at the BMW Open.
Holger Rune vs Yannick Hanfmann head-to-head
The pair haven't met before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Holger Rune vs Yannick Hanfmann odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Holger Rune vs Yannick Hanfmann prediction
Both Rune and Hanfmann like to dominate opponents from the back of the court, but the Dane is the more aggressive of the duo.
Although aggression can be a double-edged sword on clay, Rune's strong serves, powerful groundstrokes and elite movement have stood him in good stead on the surface. Moreover, he's in good form on the red dirt, reaching the Monte-Carlo final last week.
Hanfmann (32-24) may have won more matches than Rune (21-19) on the surface, but the defending champion should take this one.
Pick: Rune in straight sets
