Ruud reaches the last 16 at Roland-Garros in two stages
Casper Ruud is at home in Paris. An unfortunate finalist in 2022 and 2023, he will be a serious contender again this year. Beaten badly by Davidovich Fokina in the second round, the Norwegian was much more consistent on Saturday. Faced with a Tomas Martin Etcheverry who is always very dangerous on clay (quarter-finalist last year), Ruud raised his game again to win (6-4, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 in 2h47).
Physically very strong, despite the 5-set battle he had put up the day before, the world number 7 managed to keep the game tight. Despite a huge air pocket in the second set, he played much better overall than his opponent (41 winners, 9 breaks) and joins Fritz in the last 16.
Faced with an American who is not always at ease on clay, the two-time finalist still has a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals, where Novak Djokovic could be waiting for him.