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Match details
Fixture: (5) Holger Rune vs Tim van Rijthoven.
Date: September 27, 2022.
Tournament: Sofia Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Australia - beIN Sports.
Holger Rune vs Tim van Rijthoven preview
Fifth seed Holger Rune will take on Tim van Rijthoven in the first round of the 2022 Sofia Open on Tuesday.
After a disappointing start to the season, Rune gained some momentum during the clay swing. He first won a Challenger title in Italy and followed it up with his maiden ATP title at the BMW Open. The following week, he made it to the semifinals of the Lyon Open.
Rune kicked off his French Open campaign with a stunning upset of 14th seed Denis Shapovalov. He made it comfortably to the fourth round, where he was up against last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. The teenager defeated him in four sets to reach his first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam. He then lost to Casper Ruud in their last eight clash.
Unfortunately, Rune was unable to build upon his impressive result in Paris. He lost in the first round of his next six tournaments. He eventually managed to end his losing streak at the Citi Open and later made it to the third round of the US Open.
At last week's Moselle Open, Rune received a bye into the second round as the fourth seed. He defeated Benjamin Bonzi to reach the quarterfinals, but lost to Alexander Bublik thereafter.
Tim van Rijthoven captured his maiden ATP title in style at the Libema Open this year. He received a wildcard to compete there and scored wins over Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev en route to the title. He then made his main draw Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon.
Van Rijthoven made it to the fourth round at the All England Club, where he lost to eventual winner Novak Djokovic in four sets. He next competed at the Hall of Fame Open, but lost in the first round. The 25-year-old made it to the second round of the US Open, losing to Casper Ruud in four sets.
Holger Rune vs Tim van Rijthoven head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Holger Rune vs Tim van Rijthoven odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Holger Rune vs Tim van Rijthoven prediction
Van Rijthoven hasn't done much since his exploits during the grass season. However, Rune has not managed to string together many wins over the last three months either. With both players being far from their best, this encounter could sway either way.
The Dutch player is a much better server compared to the teenager and a strong serving performance could seal the tie in his favor. His game is super effective on fast surfaces, giving him a good chance at this indoor hardcourt tournament.
Rune can certainly match or even better van Rijthoven's intensity. The key for the young Dane will be to maintain consistency. He has lost a lot of close matches recently and if he's able to gain the upper hand during key moments of the contest, he should be able to score a win over his opponent.
Pick: Holger Rune to win in three sets.
