Holger Rune advanced to the semifinals of the ATP 500 Japan Open

The sixth-seeded Holger Rune (Denmark) advanced to the semifinals of the ATP 500 Japan Open tennis tournament in Tokyo after defeating Kei Nishikori (Japan) by 2-1 (3:6, 6:2, 7:5).

The Danish tennis player had to save a match point in the third set at 5:3 in favor of his opponent and it turned out to be the turning point of the match, as Kei Nishikori was unable to take a single game after it. The Japanese veteran, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2014 but is currently as low as number 200 in the ATP rankings, won the first set by 6:3 after an early break.

At the end of the second set, Holger Rune took the initiative. With his behavior on the court, the Danish tennis player managed to challenge even the extremely calm Japanese opponent, who traditionally maintain neutrality even when their compatriots are playing.

In the third set, Kei Nishikori led with a break at 4:3, after which Holger Rune immediately requested a medical timeout. The Japanese led by 5:3 and in the next game he had a match point on Rune’s serve, but he was unable to convert it, after which the Dane managed to equalize and then make another breakthrough for the victory.

In the semi-finals, Holger Rune will play with Arthur Fils (France), who after three hours of play defeated the eighth-seeded Ben Shelton (USA) with 2-1 (7:5, 6:7(5), 7:6(2)). Arthur Fils could have decided the match in two sets as he led by 6:5 in the second set of his serve and had two match points, but Ben Shelton broke his serve and equalized the sets.

There was also a tiebreak in the third set, but in it the Frenchman was completely decisive to win it with 7-2 points.

In the other semi-final, Ugo Humbert (France) defeated Tomas Machac (Czech Republic) by 2-1 (6:3, 3:6, 6:2).