Outgoing finalist in Brisbane, Rune falls in the first round to Lehecka

After a 2024 season in which he failed to win a single title, Holger Rune was hoping to bounce back for his first tournament of the year.

The Dane was making his return to an event that had been a success for him last year in Brisbane, when he reached the final.
He came up against Grigor Dimitrov on the last step.

For his debut in the Australian city, the number 2 seed and 13th player in the world had inherited a tricky draw, as he faced Jiri Lehecka.

The Czech, semi-finalist at the Madrid Masters 1000 before suffering a back injury, made a good comeback at the end of last season.

Now ranked 28th in the ATP rankings, Lehecka is a formidable player capable of causing problems for many players.

For the first time in three meetings, he got the better of Rune (7-5, 6-3), who was still breaking in at the start of the season.

A few weeks ago in Shanghai, it was Rune who won in two sets. The roles were reversed this time.

The Czech will take on Yoshihito Nishioka in a bid to reach the quarter-finals.

A semi-finalist in his last two tournaments, first in Basel and then in Bercy, the Dane will have to wait for his first taste of success this season.