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Holger Rune and Brendon Shelton produced an exhilarating rally in the Mexican Open first round in Acapulco on Monday, February 27.
On the first night of the ATP 500 event, the two young guns served up a spectacle to remember. After dropping the opening set in a tiebreak, the 10th-ranked Rune reeled off eight of the final 10 games, including the last four, to book his place in the next round.
The aforementioned rally took place at 2-2 in the third set, with Rune serving at 15-15. With a serve out wide to the left-hander, the Norwegian looked to pin his opponent on his backhand corner. Holger Rune then pulled out a drop shot, which was well anticipated by Shelton.
The American had two opportunities to win the point at the net but had to scamper back to the baseline to retrieve a Rune lob. Shelton responded with a tweener, but Rune was there at the net to end the point with a sweet half-volley winner, which the American couldn't reach.
The two players exchanged a 'high five' at the net before trudging back to play the next point.
Here's the video of their incredible rally:
Rune will next take on Nuno Borges or Nick Chappell for a place in the Acapulco quarter-finals. Interestingly, Rune and Shelton will team up for doubles at Indian Wells next month.
"I managed to find solutions when it mattered" - Holger Rune
Holger Rune faced a stern test against the 20-year-old Shelton, eventually coming out in three sets after squandering two set points in the first.
Acknowledging that he had to 'dig deep' against a 'tricky' opponent, Rune said after the match, which lasted ten minutes short of 2.5 hours:
"I managed to find solutions when it mattered. I had to dig really deep for that break in the second set. In the third set, I felt like I was more up. I think I played good overall and it was a super tricky match."
Complimenting Shelton for one of the 'biggest serves' in the game, the Norwegian continued:
"He has a huge serve. For me, it's one of the biggest serves I ever played. He has a lot of weapons. Most of all I'm super happy with how I handled everything mentally."
With the win over the Australian Open quarter-finalist, Rune is now 9-4 on the season as he seeks his first title of the year in Acapulco.
