How will the German start off at the Shanghai Masters?

The penultimate Masters tournament of the year is here, and we’ve got a pick and odds for Daniel Altmaier’s opener against Holger Rune! In Shanghai, the German is aiming to at least match last year’s result.

Back then, the pro from Kempen reached at least the second round for the first time in his career. In our view, his chances aren’t half bad. While Holger Rune—a familiar name—awaits the 28-year-old, the Dane is a far cry from his former glory. The reason was a nearly year-long forced hiatus due to an Achilles tendon injury that only recently came to an end.

Rune has only been back on the court for just under a month, and the long hiatus means the former world No. 4 lacks competitive experience. Against this backdrop, we’re predicting that the German will win at least one set in the match between Daniel Altmaier and Holger Rune.

Since we expect a fairly close match, it seems quite likely that at least one set will be decided in a particularly tight finish.

Holger Rune – Daniel Altmaier Head-to-Head Record

The Dane and Altmaier have faced each other twice so far, and Rune has come out on top every time. Their most recent matchup took place in November 2023 at the Masters in Paris, where Rune triumphed 2–0. For this latest rematch between Holger Rune and Daniel Altmaier, the odds are once again pointing toward a victory for the player from Copenhagen.

Holger Rune vs. Daniel Altmaier Prediction

In the middle of last month, Holger Rune made his comeback in the Davis Cup after nearly a year, and he did so successfully with two wins against Iliyan Radulov and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. However, it became clear at the subsequent tournament in Tokyo that the very long break from competition had taken its toll on him.

Rune was defeated in two sets by France’s Kyrian Jacquet in the first round. The timing of the upcoming match therefore works in Altmaier’s favor.

Normally, he would be the clear underdog against the Dane, who has already won a Masters (Paris) once in 2022. Currently, however, we don’t consider him to have no chance, which is why we see value in the betting odds for the German to win a set in the match between Holger Rune and Daniel Altmaier.