Casper Ruud ensured that this doubles match counts, but ultimately, he didn't have enough to power Norway past France at the 2024 United Cup.
This was a pretty interesting tie overall between two solid teams. The first match saw Caroline Garcia win a really close one to give France the first point in the tie. Then we saw Casper Ruud come out on top against Adrian Mannarino to make it 1-1, which is why this mixed doubles match mattered.
On paper, the French were heavy favorites because both Garcia and Eduard Roger-Vasselin are very good doubles players, while Ruud isn't known as a good one. He doesn't play it often, and while Ulrikke Eikeri can hold her own in the doubles, she's no Garcia who won Grand Slams in doubles.
The start was actually better for the Norwegian duo as they created some early break points that weren't used. That was costly but not as costly as the wasted set points a few games later.
Overall, Ruud and Eikeri wasted six break points, three of which were set points. In the next game, the French broke the Norwegians, which was basically what settled the match.
They would break and then hold serve to win the set 7-5. It was a huge wasted chance that never came back for the Norwegians, as the French controlled the match after that.
An early break in the second set only cemented Garcia and Roger-Vasselin's control over the match as they cruised towards the finish line. Ruud and Eikeri would not see a single break point in the second set, which demonstrated well how the French players handled the second set.
Much better than the first set, where they barely survived. The final score was 7-5 6-4 as they moved on to the next round of the United Cup. France beats Norway 2-1.
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