In a surprising turn of events at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, Holger Rune's return to the ATP Tour was cut short after just one match. French player Kyrian Jacquet defeated the Dane 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday, advancing to the last 16 without facing a single break point.
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Rune's comeback began two weeks prior during the Davis Cup, where he competed for Denmark in a World Group I tie against Bulgaria from September 18-20. He won his first match against Iliyan Radulov 6-3, 6-3, and secured a victory over Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), helping Denmark qualify for next year's Qualifiers.
In Tokyo, Rune hoped to build on positive memories from the 2024 tournament, where he reached the semifinals and had a 5-2 overall record at the event. However, against Jacquet, he struggled throughout the match. Despite landing only 43 percent of his first serves, Jacquet won every point that followed a successful serve. Rune failed to score a single point on Jacquet's first serve and did not earn any break points during the match.
Jacquet successfully held all eight of his service games and converted four of six break point opportunities. He took the first set 6-3 and dominated the second, allowing Rune just one game. After saving one match point, Jacquet sealed the match, winning 52 of the 84 points played.
Now ranked No. 86, Jacquet was making his debut in Tokyo, having entered the main draw on a special exemption. He will next face Italy's Luciano Darderi, ranked No. 19, in the second round.
For Rune, the focus remains on the significance of his return to competitive play after nearly a year away.