Sofia Open: Holger Rune vs Lorenzo Sonego preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Holger Rune vs Lorenzo Sonego
Date: September 29, 2022.
Tournament: Sofia Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
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 Lorenzo Sonego preview
Fifth seed Holger Rune will face Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the Sofia Open on Thursday.
The Dane produced some promising performances during the clay-court season and won his maiden ATP singles title in Munich and reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open. All these results helped him reach the top 30 of the ATP rankings.
However, his form has since suffered a dip, winning only five out of 16 matches. Rune entered the Sofia Open seeded fifth and faced Tim van Rijthoven in the first round. Both sets were tightly contested and the Dane won 7-6(2), 7-6(8) to book his place in the round of 16.
Holger Rune makes a good start in Sofia 
🇩🇰Holger Rune makes a good start in Sofia
The dannis player is back to winning after eliminating Tim Van Rijthoven 7-6(2) 7-6(6) in the first round in Sofia #ATPSofia https://t.co/ylOF9pDsps
Sonego had a poor start to the season but his performances have improved over the past few months. The Italian fell out of the top 50 of the ATP rankings during the grasscourt season but soon made a return after winning the Moselle Open in Metz.
Sonego did not drop a single set throughout the competition and defeated Alexander Bublik in the final. This was the third singles title of the Italian's career.
He then entered the Sofia Open and beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-4 to seal his place in the second round of the tournament.
Sonego'n Crazy!
Lorenzo Sonego keeps winning without missing a beat, taking a title in France on Sunday and staying hot this week in Bulgaria.
The Italian clears Bernabe Zapata Miralles, 6-3, 6-4 to reach round 2 where he'll try to keep the momentum going against Holger Rune. https://t.co/c6IZbLY02T
Holger Rune vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head
Rune leads 1-0 in the head-to-head against Sonego, having beaten him 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16 of last year's Moselle Open.
Holger Rune vs Lorenzo Sonego odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Holger Rune vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction
Rune might be the higher-ranked player but Sonego is capable of getting the better of him given their recent form. The Italian will be in good spirits after winning the Moselle Open and the Dane will have his task cut out for him in the second round.
Rune has had a string of disappointing results since his run to the quarterfinals of the French Open but did well to beat Tim van Rijthoven in his opening-round fixture in Sofia.
Sonego has a solid serve and will look to make the most out of it. He loves to hit his groundstrokes flat and deep. Rune's best strategy would be forcing the Italian to make unforced errors. Given his opponent's aggressive style of play, the Dane should be able to eke some errors out of Sonego.
If the Italian maintains his form from the past few weeks and starts strong, he should be able to win the match and reach the quarterfinals of the Sofia Open.
Pick: Sonego to win in straight sets.