New York: Both Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev emerged successful in their opening rounds at the 2025 US Open by defeating their opponents in straight sets, thus indicating that they are here for serious business at Flushing Meadows.
Rune Holds Nerve in Close Tiebreaks
Eleventh seed Holger Rune overcame Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) in a contest that stretched and stressed his composure. Rune made an early break and pocketed the first set pretty comfortably. However, the further he went with this match, the stronger his opponent became in both sets that again went down to the wire into a tiebreak--once again, aggressive serving and calm shot selection were the conduits for Rune's 'Tennis' success.
Much more significant maturity in his Grand Slam campaign, as reflected in closing two tense sets without letting the match drift, cheered a Danish player who had not had an easy ride to date in New York. Next for Rune is Jan-Lennard Struff, who has a nice mix of both power and experience.
Rublev Dominates Grazing Debutant
At the other side, the 15th seed in the roster, Andrey Rublev, put on a spectacular show as he outclassed Croatian-born breadcrumb Nico Prizmić 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The baseline heavy strikes generated power from the very first moment, thus forcing errors in important places. Rublev even captured an early break and kept his head under extreme pressure before closing with winners just when they mattered.
Prizmic was playing his first main draw at the US Open and showed signs of talent, but didn't have the consistent challenge during the course of the match to really bother Rublev. That was also the win for Rublev in the total of 25 times as a victory at the US Open, which has stamped him as a regular contender in Flushing Meadows. He will take on wild-card Tristan Boyer in the second round.
Looking Ahead
Rune and Rublev both came in fine style to round two, but the way ahead does look a little tougher. Rune would be put through some good shot tolerance tests against Struff, while Rublev would continue his clean striking against Boyer. But for now, both men leave Day 2 with confidence intact and momentum on their side.