Holger Rune: China Open 2023: Holger Rune vs Grigor Dimitrov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (3) Holger Rune vs Grigor Dimitrov

Tournament:China Open 2023

Date: October 1, 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $3,633,875

Holger Rune vs Grigor Dimitrov preview

World No. 4 Holger Rune will be looking to cap off his 2023 season with a good showing at the 2023 China Open.

The promising Dane, however, will have to navigate past World No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov in a blockbuster second-round clash if he wants to go deeper at the ATP 500 tournament.

Rune has had a respectable season in his sophomore year on the ATP tour, compiling a 38-19 win-loss record in competitive matches.

The highlights of the 20-year-old's year were winning an ATP 250 title in Munich and finishing as the runner-up at the 1000-level tournaments in Monte Carlo and Rome.

It should be noted, however, that the Dane was compromised by a back injury for a large part of this season. Rune had dropped his last seven competitive matches before arriving in Beijing.

He lost four back-to-back matches on the ATP tour between Wimbledon and the US Open, while also failing to win three of his singles matches at the Davis Cup World Group 1 and the Hopman Cup.

Having said that, the World No. 4 seemingly put his injury issues on the back burner with his first-round win in Beijing. He defeated World No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 25 minutes to book his place in the second round.

Grigor Dimitrov, meanwhile, has accumulated a 30-17 win-loss record on the ATP tour in 2023. Although the Bulgarian has recorded consistent results, he has failed to reach the final of any tournament.

The former World No. 3 lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Alexander Zverev at last week's Chengdu Open.

He then had a slow start to his China Open campaign this week, as he trailed the USA's Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 1-5 in their first-round clash.

Dimitrov, however, refused to go down meekly, breaking the American twice while he was serving for the match.

The Bulgarian subsequently took the second set in a tiebreaker before eventually completing a 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 victory in just over two hours.

Holger Rune vs Grigor Dimitrov head-to-head

Rune leads Dimitrov by a margin of 1-0 in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP tour. The Dane beat the Bulgarian in four tough sets in the fourth round of this year's Wimbledon.

Holger Rune vs Grigor Dimitrov odds

(Odds will be updated when released)

Holger Rune vs Grigor Dimitrov prediction

Rune possesses some of the most potent groundstrokes on the ATP tour. The Dane's biggest weapon is his inside-out forehand, which he hits with great conviction.

The 20-year-old is also just as good at offense as he is at defense, and he likes to catch his opponents off-guard with his disguised backhand drop shot.

The third seed was phenomenal in his first-round outing in Beijing against Auger-Aliassime, winning 88% of his first-serve points. Thus, it would be safe to assume that he is not bothered much by his back injury this week.

Dimitrov, on the other hand, also has a very all-round game. The 32-year-old is capable of hitting his forehand with swashbuckling pace.

He is also a reliable server and returner. The Bulgarian's USP, however, is his world-class backhand slice, which he uses to disrupt his opponent's rhythm during baseline rallies.

Although Rune is fit this week, he will likely be taken to the distance by his in-form opponent. Dimitrov can perhaps even mow down his younger opponent in Beijing if he keeps his focus razor-sharp and doesn't hesitate to go for the kill on the crucial points.

Pick: Grigor Dimitrov in three sets.