Holger Rune to face Grigor Dimitrov in battle of top seeds in Brisbane International final
Holger Rune: "I think I did well to be honest. When he was hitting hard I was there with some good counter-punches. I managed to close it out in two sets, which is good for the energy; watch men's Brisbane International final live on Sky Sports Arena from 6.30am on Sunday
Saturday 6 January 2024 17:21, UK
Top seed Holger Rune overcame Roman Safiullin 6-4 7-6 (0) in the Brisbane International semi-finals, setting up a final against second seed Grigor Dimitrov who beat Jordan Thompson 6-3 7-5.
The final will be live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event from 6.30am on Sunday.
"I think I did well to be honest. When he was hitting hard I was there with some good counter-punches," said the 20-year-old Rune, who reached his ninth tour-level final.
"I managed to close it out in two sets, which is good for the energy. I'm playing better tennis every day and physically I'm feeling great, so I'm happy."
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World No 8-ranked Rune will be aiming for a fifth title on the ATP tour when he faces second-seeded Dimitrov on Sunday.
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"It's exactly how I wanted it to be, to get the most amount of matches as possible," Rune added of his run in Brisbane.
"It's a great challenge tomorrow to try to see where I'm at when it really matters."
Since opening with a tough win over Andy Murray, 2017 champion Dimitrov has only conceded eight games.
Rublev stays on course for Hong Kong triumph
At the Hong Kong Open on Saturday, meanwhile, top seed and world No 5 Andrey Rublev booked his place in a first final of the year after being taken to three sets by Chinese wildcard Shang Juncheng.
Rublev lost the first set but fought back to win 4-6 6-2 6-3.
"It was a super tough match. He is super talented and super powerful, he was playing unbelievable, making winners from any position and I was thinking at some points I have no chance," Rublev was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour's website.
"I definitely wasn't surprised as he's beaten some great players this week and since the beginning of the match he was hitting with full power. I was just afraid what to do."
Rublev will now face Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, who also fought back from a first-set loss (4-6 7-5 6-3) against Sebastian Ofner.
The Hong Kong final is live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix from 8.30am.
Watch FOUR tennis finals from the WTA and ATP Tours live on Sky Sports on Sunday. Stream tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership
