Italian Open 2023: Holger Rune vs Arthur Fils preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: (7) Holger Rune vs Arthur Fils

Date: Friday, May 12

Tournament: Italian Open 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy

Category: Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €7,705,780

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Holger Rune vs Arthur Fils preview

Rune opens his campaign on Friday.

Seventh seed Holger Rune opens his campaign at the Italian Open against qualifier Arthur Fils on Friday.

World No. 7 Rune dropped to 22-9 on the season following a third-round exit at the Madrid Masters a fortnight ago. Rune was coming off his first title of the season in Munich, where he successfully defended his title, beating Botic van de Zandschulp in a third-set tiebreak.

The 20-year-old has been in good form on European clay this season, going 8-2. His two losses came against Andrey Rublev in the Monte-Carlo Masters and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Madrid Masters. Rune has had a decent season overall, making the second week at the Australian Open and semifinals at Montpellier and Acapulco. He's making his debut at the Foro Italico.

Meanwhile, the 119th-ranked Fils has won six of his eight matches this year, beating Juan Manuel Cerundolo on his Italian Open debut. The 18-year-old Frenchman has made semifinal runs at Montpellier and Marseille.

Fils has been on a roll on the Challenger Tour, winning Oeiras 2 and reaching the Quimper final. He's coming off a quarterfinal appearance at the Aix-en-Provence.

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Holger Rune vs Arthur Fils head-to-head

The two players haven't met before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Holger Rune vs Arthur Fils odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Holger Rune	-650	-1.5 (-225)	Over 20.5 (+100)
Arthur Fils	+425	+1.5 (+155)	Under 20.5 (-140)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

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Holger Rune vs Arthur Fils prediction

Fils marked his Rome debut with a win.

Both Rune and Fils are quintessentially baseliners and have similar game styles, as they serve big, hit powerfully off either flank and move well.

However, the Dane takes the edge because of his superior consistency, experience and pedigree, especially on clay. Rune has won 26 of his 46 matches on clay, including two titles in Munich (2022 and 2023). In stark contrast, the 18-year-old Fils only made his tour-level debut on red dirt this week at the Foro Italico.

It should be a tight contest between the two youngsters, but the more experienced Rune should emerge victorious to reach the third round as he seeks a swift return to winning ways.

Pick: Rune in straight sets