Munich 2023: Holger Rune vs Cristian Garin head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (1) Holger Rune vs Cristian Garin

Tournament:BMW Open 2023

Date: April 21, 2023

Round: Quarterfinal

Venue: English Garden, Munich

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €562,815

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Holger Rune vs Cristian Garin preview

Defending champion Holger Rune will lock horns with World No. 86 Cristian Garin in the quarterfinals of the BMW Open on Friday.

After a first-round bye, Rune kicked off his title defense against home favorite Yannick Hanfmann in the second round. The teenager quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. He held a couple of set points on his opponent's serve at 5-2, but was unable to seal the deal.

Nevertheless, Rune served out the set in the following game to take a one-set lead. The duo traded service breaks to start the second set, but remained steady on serve over the next few games. The young Dane then went on a three-game run to open up a 5-3 lead. The match ended soon after that, with the defending champion winning 6-3, 6-4.

Garin ousted Marko Topo in straight sets to advance to the second round, where sixth seed Lorenzo Sonego awaited him. The Chilean was the first to face a hurdle in the opening set, but erased the sole break point that he faced to hold serve in the fifth game.

Garin then broke Sonego's serve to go 4-2 up and solidified his lead with a service hold to make it 5-2. The former didn't squander the lead and captured the set soon enough after that. Neither were able to hold on to the advantage they gained in the second set as they broke each other's serve twice.

The set eventually went into a tie-break, with Garin gaining the upper hand in it to win the match 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Holger Rune vs Cristian Garin head-to-head

Rune leads Garin 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Stockholm Open in straight sets.

Holger Rune vs Cristian Garin odds

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Holger Rune vs Cristian Garin prediction

Rune commenced his title defense with a solid win over Hanfmann. With 81% points won behind the first serve, the teenager defended his serve quite well for most of the match. It was complimented by his consistent ground game.

Garin was tested a fair bit by Sonego in the previous round, but was the stronger player in the end. His stats weren't as flattering as Rune's, but it was enough to get the job done. After a tough few months, the Chilean seems to have rediscovered his mojo and has been performing at a decent level.

Garin is a clay-court specialist, having won all of his career titles, including one in Munich, on the surface. Rune isn't a novice on the red dirt either and has quickly established himself as a pretty solid player on clay.

While Garin is partial to engaging in long rallies, Rune prefers to keep the points short. The teenager's in better form at the moment and as such will be favored to make it to the next round.

Pick: Holger Rune to win in straight sets.