Metz Open: Lorenzo Sonego vs. Holger Rune 9/22/21 Tennis Prediction

Fifth seeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego will face Qualifier Holger Rune in the Round of 16 at the 2021 Metz Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday September 22nd, 2021 at approximately 12:00pm EST.

Despite the huge difference in their rankings, a very interesting match is expected here at the 2021 Metz Open as Lorenzo Sonego and Holger Rune face off in the Round of 16. The winner will advance to the Quarter-Finals so there is a lot at stake here, and both men will be highly motivated to do well here. Sonego has really improved massively over the past few seasons and has established himself in the upper tier of players on the ATP Tour, while Rune is one of the most promising youngsters on the circuit, who has been shooting up the rankings lately. Does he have what it takes to upset the fifth seeded Italian?

Lorenzo Sonego is the fifth seed here at the 2021 Metz Open and is ranked #24 on the ATP Tour. The Italian has had some big victories over the past two seasons, winning a couple titles and defeating world number one Novak Djokovic being one of his most notable achievements. He has started strongly here at the Moselle Open, defeating the dangerous Marton Fucsovics in straight sets. The Hungarian is very strong on this surface, but Sonego returned serve extremely well, nullifying his main weapon and not allowing him many chances to get in the match. His game is better suited for clay, but he has been improving on hard and is certainly very dangerous here as evidenced by his First Round win. Holger Rune is a very capable opponent and was very impressive in his opening round win, but Sonego’s experience could be the difference here.

Holger Rune is ranked #133 in the world and is unseeded here at the Metz Open. The young Dane came through the Qualifying Rounds with two tough three set wins over experienced opponents, before stunning Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-0, 6-0 in the First Round. A performance like that will make everyone sit up and take note, and he seems to be a force to be reckoned with here. He has been steadily improving this year with a number of solid results, and even took a set off world number one Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. Normally he would not be given much of a chance against someone of Sonego’s caliber at this stage in his career, but after that performance he will be full of confidence and seems primed and ready to make a run at another upset. His powerful forehand will be a major weapon on this quick surface but it will be difficult to keep that level up for long enough to get the win here.

This is the first time that the two players are meeting on the ATP Tour, and while I am expecting an exciting match, I think that Lorenzo Sonego is too strong at the moment, and should win this in straight sets. Rune has been rocketing up the rankings and I think that he will be a top 20 player in the future, but he is not quite ready to compete with the Italian yet, and his experience will allow him to pull through here. He is simply too consistent and will have too much firepower for the youngster to handle, so he will win here, advancing to the Quarter-Finals here at the 2021 Metz Open.