TennisSection previews the 2021 Moselle Open as Pablo Carreno Busta (2) faces Holger Rune in the Quarter-Finals on Friday September 24th, 2021.
An exciting match is expected here at the 2021 Moselle Open as second seeded Pablo Carreno Busta will do battle with young sensation Holger Rune for a spot in the Semi-Finals. Both men have started strongly so far and will be hoping to continue that momentum into the later rounds. The Spaniard is the obvious favorite due to his extensive resume but Rune has done some “giant-killing” already this week and does not back down from a challenge. Does he have what it takes to cause his second consecutive upset? Or will PCB get the win as expected, advancing to the Semis?
Pablo Carreno is the second seed here at the 2021 Moselle Open and is currently the 16th ranked player in the world. The Spanish star has built a stellar reputation as one of the most solid and consistent performers on the ATP Tour. He is usually a sure bet to make it to the later rounds of tournaments, and is an opponent that everyone would prefer to avoid, regardless of the surface. PCB had a poor US Open tournament and he surely will have been eager to bounce back strongly here, making him very dangerous as he has a chip on his shoulder. He started strongly, defeating Mikael Ymer in straight sets, but is clearly not quite back at his best yet. The more time he spends on court the more confident he will become, and I am sure that he will reach his peak again eventually. His consistent and penetrating groundstrokes will make him a handful even on this surface which he does not count as his favorite, and he enters this match against Holger Rune as the massive favorite given his immense experience and higher ranking.
Holger Rune is ranked #133 in the world and entered the 2021 Moselle Open by virtue of coming through the Qualifying Rounds. He is having a breakout season of sorts, with very strong performances on the Challenger Tour and is finally beginning to make his mark on the ATP Tour as well. The youngster impressively took a set from world number one Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open, and has continued that momentum into the 2021 Moselle Open, upsetting highly rated 6th seed Lorenzo Sonego in the First Round. What makes it even more impressive is that he recovered from a set down, showing remarkable poise and fight to come back to eventually win 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. That win would have given him plenty of confidence as it was the biggest thus far in his career, but he now is faced with an even greater challenge in top 20 player Pablo Carreno Busta. Rune is playing freely and without fear, but it remains to be seen how much of a challenge he can pose to PCB here, and he enters this match as the big underdog, with his recent performances giving him some hope.
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, and I am expecting a very competitive match. Pablo Carreno Busta is the obvious favorite given his extensive resume, but his patchy recent form and that of his high-flying young opponent suggest that it may be closer than anticipated. Holger Rune plays a very aggressive and dynamic brand of tennis, so PCB will have to be at his defensive best, especially on these quicker courts to counteract that. All things considered, I think that the Spaniard will simply be too good for his young opponent, and will be able to withstand whatever is thrown at him. He is one of the steadiest players on Tour, and his style is very likely to force his opponent into numerous errors. It won’t be a walk in the park, but expect Pablo Carreno Busta to win in two tight sets here, advancing to the Semi-Finals here at the 2021 Moselle Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta to win in 2 sets
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