The ASB Classic has added another young star to the roster for next year's tournaments with Danish teenager Holger Rune confirmed for the men's draw in Auckland in January.
Rune, who turned professional in 2020 after reaching No.1 in the world junior ranks, has already climbed to 26th on the ATP World Rankings and is currently the highest rated Danish player since ranking began 50 years ago.
The 19-year-old joins top-10 ranked players Cameron Norrie and Casper Ruud who have confirmed their entries for the men's tournament which runs January 9-14. It comes after Coco Gauff and US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez also confirmed their entries in the women's draw earlier this year.
"We have been targeting young players on the rise in world tennis, and we are very excited that Holger has agreed to play in Auckland," said Tournament Director, Nicolas Lamperin.
"Holger is arguably the best tennis product to come out of Denmark and is proving an exciting young player on the rise. He only broke into the top 100 this year, and has beaten the likes of Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, both in the top-six ranked world players, along the way.
"He has a fantastic allround game and is equally strong on hard courts and clay and is sure to be a major threat in the ASB Classic."
Since going professional two years ago, Rune has won five times on the ITF Tour and five times on the ATP Challenger before pushing into the top-100 on the ATP Tour in January.
It was the start of a breakout year for Rune who won his first ATP singles title in Munich in May before reaching the final in Sofia last week. He reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros earlier this year as well.
The Danish player has also recently announced that world-renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou, long-time mentor of Serena Williams, has joined his coaching team.
Rune returns to Auckland having received a wildcard into his first ATP tournament after turning professional in 2020.
SHARE ME