The crowd in Basel will have a chance to watch a thrilling final on Sunday, with two young guns battling for the trophy. The 22-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime seeks his third consecutive title, winning the previous 12 matches and moving into the Basel final without losing serve! The 19-year-old Holger Rune follows Auger-Aliassime’s pace, advancing into his third ATP final in a row and winning nine straight matches. Like Felix, Holger is yet to get broken in Basel, reaching the final following a tight 7-6, 7-6 triumph over Roberto Bautista Agut. The match lasted two hours and one minute, and there was nothing to separate them. Rune fired 11 aces and defended all seven break chances to remain competitive. He came from 6-2 down in the second set tie break to steal it and seal the deal without playing a decider. Two rivals won almost the same number of points in the shortest and more advanced rallies, with the tie breaks deciding the winner.
Holger Rune has played his best tennis in the past couple of weeks.
Rune fired 44 winners and 20 unforced errors, keeping the points on his racquet and remaining composed in the crucial moments to emerge at the top and move closer to the title. Bautista Agut saved a break point in the encounter’s first game and faced another at 1-1 after Rune’s perfect drop shot winner. The Spaniard denied it with a service winner and never experienced issues in his games by the end of the clash! Both players served well in the remaining games to introduce an inevitable tie break. Holger moved 3-1 up with a smash winner and gained another mini-break when Roberto placed a backhand long. The young gun seized the first set point at 6-1 with a sharp return that pushed him in front after 56 minutes. The Spaniard barely lost a point behind the serve in the second set’s six games, and the Dane felt the pressure behind the initial shot.
Rune fended off two break points with winners at the net right after the serve in the third game. He faced problems again at 2-2 and experienced three break chances after netting a volley. Holger saved them with winners and took five straight points with a winner at the net for a vital hold. Rune struggled again at 3-3 before erasing two break points to keep his initial shot intact. The servers barely lost a point in the remaining games and introduced the second tie break. Bautista Agut placed a beautiful backhand crosscourt slice winner for 6-2 and four set points. Holger saved the opening two and cracked a backhand down the line winner on the third for 5-6. The Dane denied the fourth with a volley winner at the net and landed another at the net to earn the first match point. The young gun seized it after a great defense and the rival’s mistake, rattling off six straight points for a place in the title clash.