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Casper Ruud (21) struggled to advance to the third round of the French Open. There, the Norwegian meets the world tree Dominic Thiem (27).
Casper Ruud advanced from the second round of the French Open on Wednesday. Michel Euler / AP
Casper Ruud – Tommy Paul 6–1, 1–6, 6–3, 1–6
Casper Ruud finished with a show of power in the first set against American Tommy Paul on the gravel court in Paris. The Norwegian won 6-1 first, before Paul fought back in the match.
Ruud decided in the fifth and final set, and thus proceeded to the third round of the French Open. There he meets Austrian Dominic Thiem, who is ranked number three in the world.
– This was completely wild, I can’t believe what I saw. Casper performs better when it comes to it, and he is very mentally ill. Ruud has an advantage, but Paul doesn’t give up and returns. It will be a roller coaster ride, but he takes it in five sets, and it’s a wonderful feeling, says Eurosport tennis expert Melanie Stokke, after the match.
Coach Christian Ruud’s father was also pleased with what he saw in the match against Paul.
– I’m very happy with the victory, it was a roller coaster ride. Casper shows that he is in good shape and has confidence and faith in his own abilities. He takes the fifth set in raw style, Christian Ruud tells Eurosport.
Excellent Open: – World Class
Ruud got off to a great start in the first set. The 21-year-old from Snarøya kept pace with a show of power and crushed Paul 6-1. The Norwegian spent no more than 30 minutes crushing the American in the first set.
– A fantastic opening, it’s almost as if we didn’t believe it. We barely played a quarter of an hour, and the first set is already in Ruud’s pocket. Much remains to be done, but this has been a great start, Eurosport commentator Eirik Fure said midway through the first set.
Ruud was good in the first set against Paul, who couldn’t reach the Norwegian’s forehand. CHARLES PLATIAU / X00217
The Norwegian was leading 5-0 in the game and was clearing the table in the first set, before finally winning 6-1.
– The world-class forehand. And with a world-class forehand, he’s also 5-0 in the game. It is very impressive from Casper Ruud so far. It has devastated. 6-1 in the first set, said the commentator.
At the end of the first set, Ruud lost his balance and fell to the ground. But even though there was great strain on Ruud’s right shoulder, the Norwegian appeared healthy and well after recovering quickly.
Ruud went down in full force in the first set. But it seemed to go well with the 21-year-old, who made a quick recovery. Michel Euler / AP
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Paul defended himself
But while many thought this was going to be an easy work day for Ruud, Paul wanted it to be different. The American fought masterfully in the match and won the second set 6-1.
The next set was much smoother and Ruud eventually won 6-3.
In the fourth set, Ruud fought violently, while Paul impressed. The American thus won 6-1 and took a sweet revenge from the Norwegian’s first set.
Tommy Paul made it difficult for Casper Ruud in the arrangement at the French Open. Michel Euler / AP
Thrilleravslutning
Therefore, everything had to be decided in the fifth and final set on track 13 in Paris.
It was the most even set of the match. Paul had no chance in games Ruud served, while the Norwegian himself came close to breaking the American on several occasions.
After an intense battle in the eighth game, Ruud finally managed to break Paul, after the American was neglected on two servers in a row.
In the ninth game, Ruud abused four match balls before claiming victory on his fifth match ball.
– For an attrition winner, this is it. Now she meets the “prince of gravel” Dominic Thiem. It’s completely crude to follow Casper Ruud during the day, Fure said after Ruud won the match.
Meet the world star
In the third round, like I said, Dominic Thiem is waiting. The 27-year-old Austrian won his first Grand Slam title when he reached the top of the US Open in early September. The game between Ruud and Thiem will probably be played on Friday.
Thiem won 6–1, 6–3 and 8–6 against American Jack Sock in the second round. The Austrian reached the final of last year’s French Open, where he had to be beaten by Rafael Nadal.
Still, Christian Ruud doesn’t think the new tennis kite will make it easy for him against Casper.
– Casper has shown in recent weeks that he is at the top and knows the level of the best, especially on gravel. So I hope he’s fresh for that match, so he can stand out a bit, Ruud told Eurosport.
Ruud meets Dominic Thiem, who advanced from the second round after beating Jack Sock. Alessandra Tarantino / AP
Ruud met Thiem once early in his career. The duo reunited for an exhibition match in July where Thiem ultimately won 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) after a close match in Kitzbühel.
Ruud has been to the third round at Roland Garros once before. That was in 2019, when he had to be defeated by world star Roger Federer.
