It’s all coming together for Holger Rune at Roland Garros – as is proving a pattern.
The 21-year-old Dane posted a straight-sets victory over Jozef Kovalik on Saturday to progress to the last 16 in Paris for the third straight year.
It represents an upswing in form after what has been a somewhat lean season, and Rune can gauge just how far he’s come when he next faces Alexander Zverev, currently one of the game’s most in-form players.
“We played each other a long time ago. The first ATP title I won (Munich in 2022) I beat him on the way, so obviously I have good memories of that week and playing him,” said Rune of Zverev, the Rome champion who enters their clash on a nine-match winning streak.
“On Monday it's going to be different match. It's the best-of-five sets. It's a Grand Slam, so obviously more tension for both of us I guess. We both want to do well. He's been playing some good tennis.
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“I've been raising my level as well, so I'm expecting a big fight.”
Rune needed to raise his level, because the rising star had begun trending in the opposite direction.
Peaking at world No.4 nine months ago and opening 2024 with an appearance in the Brisbane final, Rune has since slipped to 13th after going 15-10 in his next 25 matches.
He showed some bright glimpses during the clay-court swing but nevertheless arrived in Paris with a lukewarm 6-4 record on the surface.
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Roland Garros, however, has become his happy hunting ground, and having reached the quarterfinals in his past two visits, Rune is one win away from making it three straight.
He now boasts a 10-2 record at the tournament – by far his best of the four majors – and seems to be clicking once more into gear after a massive scare in the second round.
“I was actually much happier about my tennis today than I were in the previous matches. I think especially the second set, I raised my level, I played aggressive. The match was on my terms 100 per cent,” Rune said after beating Kovalik.
“It got a bit tricky at the end. He showed some of the reason why he managed to beat (Karen) Khachanov as well. I think I handled it good.
“Obviously I told myself when it was a bit tight in the third set, just get to a tiebreak, I'm not losing those.”
Rune has reason to be confident when sets reach that juncture.
In the fifth set of his second-round battle against Flavio Cobolli, Rune trailed 5-0 and 6-2 in the match tiebreak before staging a remarkable comeback to clinch it 10-7.
And with his 7-5 6-1 7-6(2) third-round win over Kovalik, Rune has now won his past 13 tiebreaks.
The last one he lost was more than four months ago, during his second-round defeat to Arthur Cazaux at Australian Open 2024.
“I have something I tell myself before the tiebreak but I'm not going to say that,” Rune smiled after beating Cobolli. “I tend to play my best tennis when I'm in those tiebreaks … and I'm just very, very focused.”
In that one previous meeting with Zverev he referenced, Rune won it 6-3 6-2.
It promises to be a much tighter affair when they battle again on Monday in Paris – and that may well suit Rune just fine.