STOCKHOLM: The World No. 53 Miomir Kecmanovic registered his first Top 10 win since last season in Miami with a dominant performance against defending champion Holger Rune at the Stockholm Open.
The Serbian knocked off the top seed and defending champion 7-6(3), 6-2 to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Kecmanovic's aggressive yet steady play on Stockholm's centre court frustrated Rune. The Serbian finished with 19 winners and only five unforced errors, and he converted on all three of his second-set break points after missing five in the first.
Rune ripped a return winner to break in the first game of set two but was broken quickly and never regained his best form down the stretch.
"I thought I played pretty well today after a long period this year. I'm very happy. It means a lot to finally be able to play like this. It makes it special [to beat the World No. 6]. I was close with some other [top] guys this year but I'm happy that I was finally able to do it," Kecmanovic was quoted as saying by ATP.
In the only three-set singles match of the day in Stockholm, Gael Monfils defeated Marton Fucsovics 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. The Frenchman scored 27 winners in the triumph and sealed it with a break in the last game.
"I was very happy. Marton is a very good player, always a tricky opponent. [I had to] just believe that I'm going to win and try to stay positive, play my game. Obviously, I was running quite good and hitting big balls. It was a little bit of a struggle at the beginning to impose my power and then I felt I was doing it pretty good," Monfils said.
Monfils will next face Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic for a place in the quarterfinals.