Rune Secures Hard-Court Victory in Toronto, Faces Popyrin Next

Toronto, Canada – Holger Rune returned to the hard court with a strong performance, defeating Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(7), 6-3 in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Tuesday. After withdrawing from his previous match in Washington due to back pain, Rune’s win marks his first hard-court victory since the Indian Wells final in March.

The fifth-seeded Dane showcased his powerful serve, registering 12 aces against Perricard’s seven, and didn’t face a single break point during the 76-minute match, as reported by Infosys ATP Stats.

“I haven’t served like this in a while,” Rune said. “I’ve been working on some small adjustments on my serve and it seems to be feeling good. It felt really good and I trusted it all the way.” Rune focused on his serve, knowing that Perricard’s powerful serve could pose challenges. “When he’s hitting those big serves, there’s not much to do, so it’s just about focusing on your own serve,” he added.

Rune’s confidence returned after a disappointing first-round exit last month. Although he lost to Mpetshi Perricard in Basel last year, Rune leveled their head-to-head record at 1-1 with this victory.

Rune currently holds a 23-14 record in 2025 and sits 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. He will next face defending champion Alexei Popyrin, who also won his match against Canadian wild card Gabriel Diallo earlier in the day.

Popyrin, last year’s champion, secured a victory with a score of 7-6(7), 6-3 and is looking to build on his momentum as he faces Rune next. “It’s good to start strong,” Popyrin noted after his match.

The tennis community looks forward to upcoming matches as players like Rune and Popyrin aim to advance further in the tournament while chasing their goals for the season.