He was planning to attack the world number one position, but he finishes in the first round of the US Open! Who also disappointed in the Grand Slam opener?

The last Grand Slam of the season is just beginning, but the starting field is already a few favourites poorer. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the early elimination of Dane Rune. What other interesting names are already out of the picture? And who are the ones who are playing into the hands of the development so far?

Holger Rune is definitely a confident tennis player. The 20-year-old has made it to world number one, but he wants more. Not long ago, he made no secret of his ambition to become world number one soon.

That plan has now taken a big hit. Rune couldn’t find a recipe for Spain’s Carballes Baena and the US Open ended for him on the opening day.

The Danish tennis player produced twice as many unforced errors as his opponent and lost his serve seven times. For the 30-year-old Spaniard, the match brought his first win over an ATP top ten player and the tournament’s pavilion is one big name poorer.

Who does it benefit?

Rune was a big favourite in the tournament, after all, he made it to the top eight at this year’s Wibledon. So the players drawn close to him have a slightly easier job ahead of them.

One of the home tennis players is also in this easier position. It’s Tommy Paul, the recent Alcaraz conqueror.

The American tennis player, on the other hand, managed his opening match with ease and has the opportunity to confirm the ambitions of the home team.

Another disappointment

The Canadian Aliassime also bids farewell to Flushing Meadows. The former world number six undermined his result woes and fell short against the home team’s McDonald. Aliassime has lost five of his last six matches.

The result of Jiri Lehecka is also very disappointing. The finalist of last week’s tournament ended up on the racket of Russian Karatsev, not winning a single set. By the way, the Russian will be Carballes Baena’s next opponent.

Finally..

The example of Rune shows how exceptional the stable results of players like Djokovic and Alcaraz are. The Dane has not been able to build on his performances in the previous part of the year at all and has been struggling incredibly since Wimbledon.

On the other hand, the American Paul is a force to be reckoned with at the US Open. The world number 14 is playing in great form and even with the Dane’s elimination, he is on track to improve his best at his home major this year. That is to advance to the third round. So far.

Source: US Open, ATP