Holger Rune bummed clutch tweener didn't give off 'Roger Federer' during Indian Wells win

On Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open, Holger Rune led Stefanos Tsitsipas by a set and a break.

With the Greek looking to sink his teeth back in their Indian Wells encounter at 3-4 in the second set, the No. 12 seed brilliantly saved the first of two break points with a tweener lob—a split-second decision that paid off in a big way, as he safely held and wrapped up the 6-4, 6-4 showdown two games later. The perfectionist in Rune though, was a bit bummed in how the hot shot looked upon seeing the replay.

“I kind of had the expectation that I looked like Roger Federer when I hit it, and I didn't quite do that. So that was disappointing. Definitely felt better,” he said with a smile in press.

Expanding on how the crucial point unfolded during his Tennis Channel interview with Steve Weissman and Prakash Amritraj, Rune said, “That was such an important moment. I saw him hit that lob and I was like, ‘go out, go out, go out! It just clicked on the baseline and I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’ The first instinct was just to hit the tweener.

“I didn’t expect it to land in… I think it’s one of the better tweeners I’ve hit in my life.”

Tsitsipas came in with a renewed sense of confidence, having triumphed in Dubai and building a seven-match win streak with his first two victories here. But the two-time major finalist hasn’t been able to crack the Rune code, as the Dane improved to 4-0 in their head-to-head series.

“Against a player like Stef, and especially (since) he’s in form, I knew I had to go on the baseline and not let him control the points, especially with his forehand,” said Rune. I think we saw every time I let him take control after the serve with the forehand, he was on me. That was the most important, to get the return where he doesn’t like it.

“I was very composed and committed to the plan.”

The 21-year-old has equaled his 2024 run at the first ATP Masters 1000 stop on the calendar, having fallen to Daniil Medvedev in the last eight. Rune will look to improve on that effort when he takes on Tallon Griekspoor.

The Dutchman, who ousted top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round for his first Top 5 win in 19 attempts, ended the run of qualifier Yosuke Watanuki with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory.