Holger Rune arrived in Cincinnati with a blend of swagger and self-critique that has defined much of his season. He began a recent match by comparing his tennis to a sports car: “It’s a nice car, to be honest, it’s very nice,” he says. That image returned after a restart in form midmatch against Frances Tiafoe.

Rune began by complaining about his dampener and sent his racquet back to be restrung. With the new frame he immediately produced a slice backhand passing shot and a big serve-forehand sequence to reverse momentum. “I was very consistent,” he said after a recent win. “I played aggressive, but took the right decisions, didn’t play too wild. You could say I played maybe like a Porsche, but controlled, not full power—that can be risky.”

By the sixth game Rune was dominant from the baseline, converting a pair of striking winners to break at 4-4. Tiafoe then felt a problem on his left side, tried treatment and medication, but retired down 6-4, 3-1. The retirement leaves Tiafoe with a major injury concern as he approaches the US Open.

For Rune the result was a practical step rather than a declaration. “I’m happier with my level,” says the ninth-ranked Rune. “It’s going in the direction I want it to.” His 2025 campaign has been uneven: a runner-up finish at Indian Wells and a clay win over Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona sit beside an early exit at Wimbledon and past first-round losses at the US Open.

Seeking perspective, Rune spent time with Andre Agassi in Washington and again after Toronto. “We spoke about the pace of my serve, the pace of my shots, how I mix up my game,” Rune said of their post-Canada conversation. Agassi urged him to “slow the game down,” and to learn to win without his best.

“I definitely believe that I have a good game that can, as I’ve shown in the past, also challenge them and take matches from them,” Rune says of rivals Sinner and Alcaraz. The question heading into the US Open is whether he can translate those details into consistency on the biggest stages. “I tried to focus on some of the small details I’m working on in my game,” he said. “Details on the serve and the shots and trying to find my groove. From there I took my time, tried to get into the match.”

Magda Linette ended Jessica Pegula’s latest run in Cincinnati, winning a match resumed from Tuesday after thunderstorms. The No. 31 seed recovered from early double faults in the final set to produce the decisive break in the eighth game and take the match 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3.

Pegula entered the week as the world No. 4 and with strong memories of last year’s North American hard-court swing, when she went 15-2 and reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the US Open. A year after winning the National Bank Open and finishing runner-up at the Cincinnati Open, she has gone 2-2 in her returns to those events.

After play resumed, Linette held serve despite a pair of early double faults, then produced the match’s only break late in the third set. The 33-year-old saved all three break points she faced in the set that was completed on Wednesday.

Both of Linette’s Top 10 wins this season have come against U.S. opponents. She earlier beat then No. 3 Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the Miami Open to equal her best career WTA 1000 result. Linette can match that result this week if she advances past the winner of 16th seed Clara Tauson and Veronika Kudermetova.

Frances Tiafoe and Holger Rune meet again in Cincinnati with live coverage available on TennisChannel.com. The match is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, August 13. This pair’s return to the same venue produces immediate storylines because of what happened here a year ago.

Tiafoe arrives as the No. 14-ranked American; Rune is No. 9. Their meeting in Cincinnati is the first match-up in this men’s tournament between Top 15 players. Last year the two played in the semifinals at this event, a match Tiafoe won 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4). The result nearly went the other way: Rune led 5-2 in the third set and “had held double match point a few games later with Tiafoe serving at 4-5, 15-40.” That recovery remains a defining moment for Tiafoe at this event.

Tiafoe’s history at this time of year underlines his form here. He reached the biggest final of his career at this tournament a year ago and has also reached both of his career Grand Slam semifinals at the US Open, in 2022 and 2024. Rune comes in with the higher ranking and the memory of coming close to knocking Tiafoe out last year.

The match carries implications for both players in Cincinnati. For Tiafoe, a win would move him another step toward repeating last year’s deep run. For Rune, it is a chance to avenge a narrow loss in identical surroundings.