"Why are they still paying Holger Rune": Fans livid as Dane faces shocking early exit at Argentina Open 

Holger Rune suffered a surprising exit from the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, falling to unseeded Mariano Navone in the second round. The development got many tennis fans frustrated, who voiced their disappointment in their reactions.

Holger Rune entered the Argentina Open as the second seed and was among the tournament favorites alongside Alexander Zverev. Despite receiving a first-round bye, the Dane struggled in his second-round clash against home favorite Mariano Navone, raising concerns about his form.

Navone took the first set 6-1 in just over half an hour, while the hostile crowd added to Rune’s struggles.The second set was more competitive, with Rune leading 6-5 before it went to a tiebreak. Navone staged a remarkable comeback, taking the set 7-6(2) and securing one of the biggest win of his career. With this victory, he advances to the quarterfinals, where he will face Brazil’s Joao Fonseca.

A user shared this update on Reddit. Have a look at their post.

ATP 250 Buenos Aires R2: Navone def. [2] Rune 6-1, 7-6(2) byu/jovanmilic97 intennis

Several fans expressed their frustration with Rune's performance with one criticizing his repeated early exits in Buenos Aires.

"3rd time in a row Holger loses in his first match in Buenos Aires. Why are they still paying him to come," they wrote.

Comment byu/jovanmilic97 from discussion intennis

"Unfortunately Rune has basically stagnated for the last 18 months. He looked to be rising rapidly through Wimbledon 2023 and just hasn't really improved at all since then," another said.

"Worst part of this is it’s not surprising anymore.That horrific tiebreak rounds off an embarrassing performance by Rune," a user commented.

Here are a few more reactions from the tennis fans:

"They got the wrong Nordic player whose name starts with Ru," a fan wrote.

A fan tried to analyse the reason for Rune's defeat writing:

"Goddammit. He is not making it easy for us that cheer for him..... 🤦. 20 winners, 39 unforced errors .... - 19 points."

"Why is Rune playing in a 250 tournament?" A fan asked.

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The 2025 season has been a concerning one so far for Holger Rune

Holger Rune at ABN AMRO Open - Image Source: Getty

Holger Rune is regarded as one of tennis’s rapidly-rising young talents, yet concerns about his consistency have persisted in recent years. The former World No. 4 holds a 5-4 win-loss record this season.

Rune began the season with a first-round exit at the Brisbane International, falling 5-7, 3-6 to Jiri Lehecka. The 21-year-old made a strong run at the 2025 Australian Open, until his fourth-round clash against eventual champion Jannik Sinner proved too challenging, ending in a 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 defeat.

Before his surprising exit in Argentina, Rune suffered another second-round defeat in Rotterdam, losing in straight sets to Spain's Pedro Martinez. Last year, he reached just one final and missed out on the ATP Finals, making his potential resurgence this season one to watch.