Thursday, June 19

Sports Mole previews Friday’s Queen’s Club Championships quarter-final between Holger Rune and Roberto Bautista Agut, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.

Holger Rune and Roberto Bautista Agut’s reward for their comeback wins on Wednesday is a quarter-final clash at the Queen’s Club Championships, marking their fourth encounter on the ATP Tour.

Rune came back from losing the opening set against Mackenzie McDonald to overwhelm the American, while the Spanish veteran secured another comeback victory by defeating eighth seed Jakub Mensik in two hours and 21 minutes.

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Match preview

Rune, a former semi-finalist at Queen's, is eager for another appearance in the last four in London to contend for a place in Sunday’s title match. 

After his fourth-round exit against Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open, the 22-year-old ATP titlist has commenced his grass season commendably, achieving wins over Christopher O'Connell and Mackenzie McDonald to reach the last eight for the second time. 

Already having surpassed last year's disappointing outing, where he exited in the first round at the hands of Jordan Thompson, this year's progress to a third match is a success for the fourth seed, who aims for a sixth title on the men's tour and his first on grass by the week's end. 

Victorious against McDonald, the world No. 9 improved his record to 22-12 for the season and is targeting his 23rd overall win and his 13th career grass-court success.

Although the young Dane enters Friday's match with an unbeaten record against his veteran opponent, the 2023 semi-finalist at this event must not underestimate the Spanish player.

Bautista Agut has needed two back-to-back comebacks to overwhelm Nuno Borges and eighth seed Jakub Mensik. 

The Spaniard's tournament-opening victory over Borges required two hours and 31 minutes, while defeating the world No. 18 was arguably more impressive, particularly as the 37-year-old saved five of seven break points faced against the Czech in the eventual 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory.

This is Bautista Agut's first entry into the London event since 2016, matching his achievement from nine years ago when he reached the last eight. 

That 2016 run ended in straight sets against Milos Raonic in one hour, and the 12-time ATP champion is striving for a different outcome on Friday. 

Having arrived in London on a three-match losing streak, the world No. 51 has now won consecutive matches and targets a third win in a row to secure his 10th victory this year. 

However, this demands that the veteran player achieve three successive wins for the first time since his title run in Antwerp last October, highlighting his inconsistency.

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Tournament so far

Holger Rune:

First round: vs.Christopher O’Connell 6-3 6-4  

Second round: vs. Mackenzie McDonald 2-6 6-1 6-1  

Roberto Bautista Agut:

First round: vs. Nuno Borges 6-7[6] 7-5 6-4

Second round: vs. Jakub Mensik 3-6 6-3 7-5  

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Head To Head

French Open (2025) - First round: Rune 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 6-2 

Canada Masters (2024) - Round of 64: Rune 6-2 3-6 6-2 

Basel (2022) - Semi-finals: Rune 7-6(1) 7-6(6)

Rune leads his head-to-head with Bautista Agut 3-0 and is poised to secure a fourth victory over the veteran. 

Despite the one-sided results, their encounters have been fiercely contested, with the Dane requiring two tiebreaks in Basel three years ago, needing three sets in Canada last year and four at Roland Garros last month.

With Friday's match taking place on grass, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist aims to end his losing streak against the man who is 15 years his junior.

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We say: Rune to win in three sets

Previous matchups have rarely been straightforward for Rune, and this trend is expected to continue on Friday, although the young Dane is favoured to prevail against Bautista Agut in London. ID:575832:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5543:

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