French Open: Casper Ruud rumbles into last eight, faces Rune next

June 6, 2023 Times Europe

Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 5, 2023 Norway’s Casper Ruud celebrates winning his fourth round match against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

PARIS–Last year’s French Open runner-up Casper Ruud battled into the quarterfinals with a 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5 win over Chile’s Nicolas Jarry as the pressure caught up with the Norwegian on Monday.

The fourth seed struggled against claycourt specialist Jarry, who led in the last two sets but could not take his chance.

Ruud next faces Dane Holger Rune in a rematch of last year’s quarter-final after the sixth seed battled past Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in five sets.

“If we had gone five sets I don’t know how long we would have played,” Ruud said on court Philippe Chatrier.

“I have to thank my team for pushing me in practice. I did the work and physically I was ready for more.”

Ruud wasted a break advantage and was pushed into a tiebreak, which he won comfortably.

Possibly lulled into a false sense of security, Ruud fell 4-1 behind in the second set but rallied to win six of the next seven games and edge closer to victory.

The lanky Chilean, taking part in his first last-16 singles match at a Grand Slam, again made the first break in the third set.

Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 5, 2023 Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in action during his fourth round match against Norway’s Casper Ruud REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

With his big shots, Jarry was always in the contest and if the match had been played in a smaller arena, the outcome might have been different.

“It is probably the biggest clay court in the world, so it made the returns easier and safer,” Ruud said.

The 24-year-old has reached the final of two of the last four Grand Slams he has played, the two times he has got as far as the last eight.

Since he played in those two finals, Ruud said the pressure was higher.

“I felt a little more pressure this year, especially in the earliest matches. So I don’t feel like I have played my best maybe tennis yet but, at the same time, I’m playing many opponents who play very aggressively and they play fast and sort of give me no rhythm,” Ruud told a press conference.

“I think my next match is going to be a little more playable from the baseline and I think the game will be a little bit different from this match.

“I’m going to try to prepare for that and hopefully bring my ‘A’ game, because whoever I play is going to be a tough one,” he added before Rune won through to face him next.