35-year-old German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff advanced to the third round of the US Open by beating Dane Holger Rune, the No. 11 seed, in an epic five-set drama in New York on Wednesday night.
Struff won the entertaining clash 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The German, who has dropped to No. 144 in the world after peaking at No. 21 in the rankings in 2023, will face No. 17 seed Frances Tiafoe next.
Struff served at a very high level throughout the match, and Rune's performance did not reach a level that was enough to win in the end.
Rune fought back well from a tough situation in the fourth set, when Struff was up by a set, 2-1, and had a break in his favour. But instead, the Dane lost the decisive fifth set.
The Dane was broken decisively with the score at 5-5, before the German served home the impressive win.
The German got off to the best start and won the first set after a tiebreak, but then Holger Rune strolled through the second set, which he won 6-2.
The 193-centimeter-tall German has an exceptional serve, and he used it to great effect in the third set, which he won 6-3.
In the fourth set, the German was on top again and broke Rune's serve, but the Dane fought back brilliantly. He finished the set in superb style by winning eight of the last nine points and finally broke the German's serve to win the set 6-4.
But in the end, Struff prevailed, and Rune can now look back on a Grand Slam year with two defeats in the fourth round, one in the first round, and now an early exit in the second round, which doesn't suffice for a player of Rune's level and ambitions.