Holger Rune retired in his Round of 32 clash at Cincinnati Open to hand the win to American Mackenzie McDonald. As a result of the defeat, Holger Rune has not only injured himself but is now a part of a record in 2023 which he will not be proud of. And the record includes Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz amongst few other players.
Holger Rune has not had an ideal start to the US Open series. Rune only recently made it to the top 5 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. The Danish star had lost to the unseeded Marcus Giron from the United States in the Round of 32 at the Rogers Cup recently, despite coming in as one of the favorites to win the tournament besides Carlos Alcaraz.
Holger Rune becomes another top 10 victim of Mackenzie McDonald
Mackenzie McDonald is currently 43rd in the global ATP Tour rankings and recently made it to the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, defeating Andrey Rublev and Milos Raonic on the way in what was an impressive run. The American has won the last 5 out of his 6 matches, having also beaten Holger Rune in the Cincinnati Masters. After Rune, McDonald will take on France’s Adrian Mannarino in the Round of 16.
Co-incidentally, Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev both are in the top 10 of the men’s singles rankings. However, those two are not the only top 10 conquests of Mackenzie McDonald in 2023 so far. Famously, McDonald beat the defending champion and top seed, Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Australian Open 2023 in straight sets, although the Spaniard was injured. That injury has kept him out for the whole season.
That win over Rafael Nadal made him known outside of the United States for the first time in his career. From ending as the World No.63 in December 2022, it played a huge role in his rise to No.43. Although McDonald lost to fellow American, Taylor Fritz at the Delray Beach Open earlier this year, he bounced back by producing an upset against him in the semifinals of the Eastbourne International tournament prior to the Wimbledon Championships.
With Rafael Nadal being ranked No.1 at the time, Taylor Fritz ranked No.9 and Andrey Rublev currently ranked No.8, Mackenzie McDonald is making a mark of his own on the Tour. The trio is part of an unwanted record this year thanks to the American. When it comes to the top 20, McDonald has beaten Frances Tiafoe and Borna Coric at the Dallas Open and Libema Open respectively. He has a 4-2 record against 20 of the best players this season.
Rune injury update after losing in Cincinnati
Holger Rune suffered from a lower back injury during his match against Mackenzie McDonald. Rune began to feel discomfort after leading 4-3, as he lost 3 games in a row in the first set. In the second set, he was down 0-2 before he decided to retire in between the match.
With nearly 10 days left for the US Open 2023, this injury has put Holger Rune’s participation in doubt. An official update is awaited from the player and his team management in this regard.
