Unique opportunity for Ruud – VG

The exciting and ambitious project around Ruud’s younger generation is starting to smell like a bird now. We already know that the number 37 in the world rankings has entered a very lucrative stratum, but it is still too early to say how many more steps on the ladder it is realistic that he will take.

What we can see, however, is that the special late-summer variant of the US Open is well-positioned for the best mud result of the race. By reaching the third round, he has already touched the “pers”, which is from last year’s French Open, and various circumstances make it easier than usual to move on.

The field of participants is not exactly where a Grand Slam usually is. For the first time since the US Open 21 years ago, one of the top four tennis tournaments takes place without Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal on the table. As the Swiss injured his knee, the Spaniard chooses to consolidate the job of remaining the gravel king, as the crown sees Roland Garros coming after Flushing Meadows this year. Since Gael Monfils is also not included, 30 percent of the top ten ranked players are out. People like Fabio Fognini, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Nick Kyrgios, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fernando Verdasco and Lucas Pouille also shine in their absence, and consequently make something less difficult than normal to carry on.

However, this in no way means that Casper Ruud has an easy task ahead of him, and that doesn’t make what he has accomplished so far any less impressive.

On Saturday, an obviously challenging task awaits Ruud, as Matteo Berrettini is on the opposite side of the net. The 196cm tall Italian is number six in the tournament. With great power and fervor, he had full control in the round of 16 match against Frenchman Ugo Humbert, whom he beat in two sets.

Two questions become important in grief; Can Casper Ruud resist Berrettini’s power tennis? And does Berrettini manage to keep the error rate low?

The two players have only met once before, and it was an ongoing triumph in the Norwegian denomination. On French soil in 2019, Ruud won 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 over the tall 24-year-old, who seemed uncomfortable and imprecise. But now what counts is the hard court. It’s something quite different, and Berrettini is obviously in shape. Judging from the objective lenses, there is little doubt that the pre-favorite is not Norwegian.

But if Ruud won on Saturday, it would be interesting to see who might be waiting. Since he is drawn in the lower half of the table, world number one Novak Djokovic is not possible to meet until the final. In the Ruud half, Austria’s Dominic Thiem is the highest seeded, but he’s also far on the scoreboard so far.

Before then, it can quickly turn into a very twisted Russian resistance to deal with.

Andrei Rublyov (seeded number 10) and Daniil Medvedev (seeded number 3) are, at the time of this writing, the best candidates for the next two rounds, should Ruud outlast the Berrettini guns.

In any case, this year’s US Open, although a bit amputated and without spectators, will remain a highlight for Norwegian tennis. And it all points to we’ve only seen the beginning of what Casper Ruud has to offer in his career.