Szczecin, Poland–
Kamil Majchrzak advanced to the final four of the 2021 Pekao Szczecin Open with a 7-6 6-1 victory over Holger Rune. “I’m happy to be in the semifinals, which is further than I got seven years ago. I hope that won’t be the end of the road. I’m playing well, I have the support of the crowd and I hope to keep coming out on top,” said the 25-year-old, who’s the first Pole in the semifinals of this event since Jerzy Janowicz and Lukasz Kubot back in 2008.
Majchrzak had faced Rune just ten days prior, in the first round of the Tulln Challenger, beating him in three sets. “It was a different match. We played much better than at Tulln, as that was our first match since the US Open, first on clay after playing on hard. Here I think the first set was of very high-quality. With such intensity the one who won the first set was always going to have a big advantage.”
Rune and the Pole’s previous opponent, Roberto Carballes Baena, failed to break Majchrzak’s serve despite creating a total of seventeen break point opportunities. “I’m trying to play every point the same, my serve gets me out of a lot break points right now and I think that’s been the key. I’m very happy I can rely on it.”
In a very tense finish to the opening set, Majchrzak was able to play a fabulous point at 5-5 in the tiebreak and completely dominated the match from there. Meanwhile, Rune got into multiple discussions with the umpire and had to ask the crowd to respect both players when his antics weren’t well-received. He requested the supervisor and went for a bathroom break not long after, which completely broke his rhythm. “He’s a fantastic tennis player and I’m sure we’re going to watch him on the biggest stages. The question ‘when’ is just about when he grows up. If he does it quickly, then it’s going to be in the near future”, was Majchrzak’s comment to the situation.
The Pole will now face Yannick Hanfmann on Saturday. It was just one match away from an all-Polish semifinal but Majchrzak’s countryman, Pawel Cias, was eliminated by the German in straight sets.
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