Holger Rune becomes first ever player to beat 5 Top-10 players in single ATP Tour event
World No. 18 Holger Rune did the unthinkable as he beat former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to win the 2022 Paris Masters singles title, and en route to his win, the Dane beat five Top-10 ranked players.
The Danish teenager upset the Serb as he made a stunning comeback to etch his name in the record books. Rune beat Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 singles title. The current World No. 18 will move up to a career-high ranking of No. 10 in the latest ATP rankings on Monday.
Amidst his impeccable win, Holger Rune also became the first player to beat five Top-10 players in a single ATP tournament. The 19-year-old survived an early scare in his Round-of-64 match against three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. The teenager, however, had the last laugh, saving three match points before winning the match 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) to advance to the next round.
MASTERS CHAMP AND TOP 10!
19yo Holger Rune completes an unbelievable week in Paris-Bercy, beating 6 times champ Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to win his first Masters 1000 title.
He is the first player to beat 5(!) top 10 players in a regular tour event.
Up to #10 tomorrow. https://t.co/WAOXs72fts
In the following matches, the Dane beat the likes of Hubert Hurkacz (No. 10), Andrey Rublev (No. 9), Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1), Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 8) and Novak Djokovic (No. 7) in five days to lift the trophy.
"I’m feeling lovely to be honest; it was the most stressful game of my life" - Holger Rune
Holger Rune played his fourth consecutive ATP Tour final in Paris and claimed victory for the second time in the finals. The teenager has also risen to the No. 10 spot in the ATP Live Race To Turin, making him the first alternate. Speaking about his match and how much it meant to him, the teenager said it was an honor to share the court with Djokovic.
"It means everything to me, a perfect way to finish the week. It's a privilege to share the court with Novak," Rune said.
He further added how he wouldn't have believed four weeks ago if someone had told him that he would be inside the Top-10 of the ATP rankings.
“I’m feeling lovely to be honest, it’s the best feeling,” said Rune. “If you told me four weeks ago, I would be Top-10… I would be like ‘What, sorry?’. Now I’m here and I’m super proud.”
Talking about the final game of the third set, Rune said that it was the "most stressful game of his life" and that he was "very proud to finish it."
"It was the most stressful game of my life. My heart was almost in my brain. I was already starting to think about the tie-break. I'm very proud I could finish it," Holger Rune added.