Holger Rune heads for US Open exit after taking swipe at being put on court five

Holger Rune was left to regret tweeting a map of the US Open site to point spectators towards his first-round match. The Dane now needs directions to the exit after crashing out in four sets to Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena.

Rune, seeded fourth, was clearly miffed at being shunted away on one of Flushing Meadows’ tiny outside courts and sarcastically wrote “in case you can find Court 5, this is where I play my first match Monday”.

The court is crammed in between the Arthur Ashe and Grandstand Stadiums, with pathways on either side where spectators can wander past. And Rune’s cheeky tweet backfired as hundreds swarmed around the court, craning their necks and standing on benches, to see the 20-year-old slip to defeat.

To rub salt in the wound, Rune even complained to the umpire about one noisy fan before eventually going down 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-2. Also on Monday (August 28), Dominic Thiem picked up his first win at Flushing Meadows since he won the title in 2020.

The 29-year-old Austrian, a former world number three who is working his way back up the rankings after a long spell out injured, beat 25th seed Alexander Bublik 6-3 6-2 6-4.