“A really tough match” Casper Ruud enters his first Grand Slam final after a gritty win over Holger Rune in the 2022 French Open
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Casper Ruud
World No. 8 Casper Ruud continues to prove his mettle on the claycourts as the Norwegian moves into the semi-finals of the 2022 French Open, his first-ever Grand Slam semis qualification. His previous best remains his 4th round run at the 2021 Australian Open. Up against surprise package Holger Rune, Ruud won the match 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 in 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Of the two, Ruud was the better experienced and after a brilliant clay season last year and this season so far, he was one of the underdogs to make a deep run and it is safe to say the Norwegian has not disappointed. While Rune did put up a challenge after a terrible first set when he was 0-5 before winning his first game, it wasn’t enough for the day as Ruud cruised forward.
“I had a lot of nerves all day. When you’re waiting all day to get going. It’s tough to find calm and peace during the day, but I was able to sleep a little bit after breakfast and wanted to delay the day a little bit. I came here around 3pm-4pm, I did all the preparations. I started great but then Holger fought back well, raised his level and I had a really tough match in the end there.
“He has improved a lot. I’ve played him four times already in my career. I’m probably the player who has played him most on tour so I know a little bit how he plays but he has become much more dangerous, more unpredictable. He plays fearless, plays a lot of big shots and makes a lot of them so he makes it challenging for you and he’s going to be a dangerous player for many years,” said Ruud after entering the semis.
Big test for Casper Ruud in the semi-finals
Prior to the Ruud-Rune match, World No. 7 Andrey Rublev and World No. 23 Marin Cilic played out a brilliant 5-setter in which Cilic claimed the win with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) score with the match being quite a balanced affair until the very end. The win for Cilic makes him the first Croatian to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams and the 5th active man after the Big-4 to achieve the feat.
Ruud will now take on Cilic in what will be their third career meeting with Ruud having a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head. However, with the Grand Slams being a different gravy and Cilic being one of the finest to have played in them, he can make things difficult for Ruud in the best-of-five match.
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Sarthak Shitole
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