Tennis news: Fans fume over Holger Rune double bounce in win over Francisco Cerundolo

Tennis star Holger Rune was labelled a “cheat” by fuming fans after winning a point in his French Open fourth-round match following an obvious double bounce.

World number six Holger Rune reached a second successive French Open quarter-final on Monday in a rollercoaster five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo, shrugging off a controversial incident in the match as “that’s life”.

The 20-year-old Dane came through 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7) after four hours and will face 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud in a repeat of last year’s bad-tempered quarter-final.

However, Rune was booed by the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd for hitting the ball on a double bounce in the fourth game of the third set.

There's just no way rune didn't know it was a double bounce. Not a chance. Him not speaking up and not conceding the point is a choice https://t.co/9INp5LYYH2

— NoFirstName claycourtdal (@samstennnis) June 5, 2023

Rune cheating and that was a double bounce. Cerundolo got screwed there.#RolandGarros

— Everybody Wang Chung Tonight !🇳🇴🇮🇸🇬🇩 (@Yes_IamSancho) June 5, 2023

Cerundolo knows it. The commentator knows it. TV viewers know it.

That was a shocking call from the umpire at a pivotal moment in the match between Rune and Cerundolo.

We need double bounce reviews in tennis ASAP!#RolandGarros

— Tennis Weekly Podcast (@tennisweeklypod) June 5, 2023

Que deporte 😢

— Francisco Cerúndolo (@FranCerundolo) June 5, 2023

His 23rd seeded Argentine opponent stopped playing, expecting the umpire to call the point for him.

Play continued and Cerundolo, who was called for hindrance when he halted, dropped serve.

“When I was hitting the ball, I just ran for it. But then obviously when I saw it, after he did call it, I saw it after the next point on the TV, and I saw it was a double bounce,” said Rune.

“But the point already happened and he called the score.

“So I felt sorry. Sorry for him. But this is tennis. This is sports. Some umpires, they make mistakes. Some for me; some for him. That’s life.” Rune hoped his quarter-final with Ruud on Wednesday will be remembered for the right reasons.

Holger Rune of Denmark celebrates a controversial win. Picture: Getty Images

Last year’s match at Roland Garros, which Ruud won in four sets, sparked a war of words between the two.

Rune accused the Norwegian of a “lack of respect”; Ruud told the Dane to “grow up”.

Ruud holds a 4-1 career head-to-head lead over Rune but the 20-year-old won their last meeting on clay in the Rome semi-finals last month.

“Obviously there was drama last year and I hope we can make less drama this year,” said Rune.

“We played each other in Rome. It was a good match. He’s a good player. I respect him. There’s no problem. We’re good.

“Should be a match without problems, hopefully.” Monday’s win was a morale boost for Rune who lost a fifth-set super-tie-break against Andrey Rublev in the last 16 at the Australian Open in January.

He also had two match points in that clash.

“Actually I was thinking of the match against Rublev when we started the match tie-break,” said Rune.

“I told myself to act and to think differently, just to do something different than I did in Australia, because that didn’t work. I did that, and it was the right thing to do.” Cerundolo, playing in the second week of a Slam for the first time, had the crowd on its feet when he hit back to level the match.

In a dramatic decider, Rune survived being 3-4, 0-40 to hold and break. He served for the match at 5-4 but the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires hit back to level for 5-5 and held for 6-5 before the match went to a knife-edge tie-break.

“What a sport,” tweeted Cerundolo.