Holger Rune passes Matteo Berrettini. Tiafoe, Fritz and Dimitrov win

Twelfth seed Holger Rune earned his first win at the Shanghai Masters. The young Dane faced Matteo Berrettini in the second round and scored a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory in two hours, making a winning start. The Italian started the action with nine comfortable holds and took the opener before getting a break in the closing stages of the second.

Holger survived an early scare in the decider and rattled off the final three games to come on top and earn a much-needed victory. The younger player produced more efficient numbers behind the first and second serves, fending off two of three break points and delivering two breaks that put him over the top.

They remained neck and neck in the shortest exchanges of up to four blows, and Rune forged the victory in the more advanced ones, nicely taming his blows and passing a difficult opponent. The Dane held firm in the first game of the match with a forehand winner, and the Italian responded with a booming serve for 1-1.

The youngster took the third game with a forced error before his rival landed a lob winner a few minutes later, holding at love to make the score 2-2.

A service winner put Holger ahead 3-2, and Matteo followed that pace with a forced error in the next to stay on the positive side. Rune produced another fine hold in the seventh game with a forehand winner before missing a couple of shots at 4-4.

The twelfth seed made a forehand error and conceded a break point. He saved it, but Berrettini hammered a forehand winner for the second. The Dane missed a backhand, lost serve and fell behind 5-4. The Italian served for the opener in game ten and held his ground with a booming serve, wrapping up the set in 36 minutes to take the lead.

There was nothing for the returners to work with in the first nine games of the second set before Holger changed that at 5-4. The twelfth seed remained at fifteen in the first game, and his rival reflected that in the next game, after attacking with a booming forehand.

Holger Rune had the upper hand over Matteo Berrettini in Shanghai.

The young player fired an ace in the fifth game to hold the love, and the more experienced player hit a forehand winner at 3-3 in the next, feeling no pressure after the first shot.

They served well in games seven and eight, heading into a tiebreak. With no room for error, Rune secured a comfortable grip in game nine and made his first push on the return in the next. The Dane stepped in and delivered a forehand crosscourt winner to earn three set points.

Holger grabbed the second with a forced error, leveling the score after an hour and 13 minutes and boosting his chances. The Italian created a break chance in the first game of the final set, but missed it and had no chance on the rival’s serve in the remaining sets.

Rune secured three comfortable holds to lead 4-3 before returning to action in the next return. Matteo lost the lead behind the first shot, made a forehand error and pushed his rival ahead 5-3.

Holger served for the win in game nine and delivered a stunning match point winner.

The Dane moved over the top after the rival’s slice error, celebrating his first victory in Shanghai and advancing to the third round. The US Open finalist Taylor Fritz fought qualifier Terence Atmane and won 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and two minutes.

World No. 161 claimed three points more than the world No. 1. 7, although not the most important, missing a notable top-10 win. The American denied two of three break opportunities and scored one break from six chances. Fritz denied two break points in the ninth game of the opening set and took it in the tiebreak 7-4.

Taylor could have broken the rival’s resistance halfway through the second set. He broke in the fifth game and generated three more chances to make it 4-2. Atmane denied them and held firm, staying within one break deficit. The Frenchman pulled back the break at love in the eighth game and extended the battle.

The better-ranked player claimed two points at 5-5 in the tiebreak, moving over the top and passing a challenging obstacle. Frances Tiafoe ended his poor run in 64 minutes with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over home player Yi Zhou.

The American served at 75% and was ten points behind the first shot. He saved the only break point he played against and delivered three breaks, making a strong start and moving over the top with a break at 4-4 in the second set.