Rune downs Struff to clinch last semi-final spot at UTS London

Holger Rune clinched the last remaining semi-final spot at UTS London by Builder.ai as he outplayed Jan-Lennard Struff 3-0 – 15-10, 15-12, 16-11 – at a packed Copper Box on Saturday.

The Viking outsmarted the German – The Thunder – staying strong on the big points, taking advantage of a couple of loose errors at important times and then playing some stunning tennis to seal victory.

The Dane, the runner-up in London last year, will play Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals on Saturday.

“That was an excellent match, some ridiculous rallies, just enjoyed every moment,” Rune said. “I’m so ready, I’m warmed up, I’m ready to go, let’s get it.”

Winner takes all

The winner of the match was guaranteed to go through and the first quarter was a classy affair, full of quality tennis.

Strufff had the edge for most of it and The Thunder led 10-9 when it all changed as Rune played his bonus card on the German’s serve. Struff promptly double faulted and Rune then won the point when Struff used his card, going on to win it comfortably in the end.

Rune took control of the second quarter with some more massive hitting and smart serving, opening up a 14-9 lead as the clock ticked down. Things got a little hairy when Struff hit back to 14-12, but the Dane finished it off with a big forehand that Struff could only deflect long.

Struff was still dangerous, his long levers creating easy power and he hit back from an early deficit in the third quarter to level at 5-5. Another wild serve cost him, though, at 7-8 and Rune used it to open up a lead that was too big for the German to overturn.

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