Casper Ruud convinced everyone that he wants to do well at the 2023 Roland Garros with a solid first-round showing.
It's been a really shaky start of the season for the 24-year-old Norwegian who won only 16 of 27 matches that he played his year, with only a 60% win ratio, compared to 70% and 77% from the past two seasons.
However, once the ATP Tour came to the clay courts again, Ruud started gaining some confidence, even winning a title in Estoril. But even though many expected him to start winning again, early exits from Monte-Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, and Madrid Open followed.
Then, Ruud played well again in Rome, reaching the semifinals of the tournament. But once again, he experienced a surprising loss after that, losing in the quarterfinals of the Geneva Open, where he was a two-time defending champion.
But the world no. 4 came to Paris in a good mood, determined to defend his final appearance from the last season. He dismissed any injury concerns, focusing on his first-round match against Elias Ymer from Sweden.
The two met four years ago at an ATP Challenger event in Phoenix, and back then, Ruud was the winner of this Scandinavian derby. This time, he kicked off the match in a good way too, breaking his opponent and winning the first set 6-4.
As the match continued, Ruud seemed to increase his level. He broke his opponent three times in the second set, and despite being broken once, he won the set 6-3, going into the third set with a straight-sets victory in his mind.
This time, the Norwegian was broken immediately in the first game, but since he broke every one of his opponent's serves, he won the match convincingly 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, advancing to the second round of the event.
Up next, he may face a difficult set. His second-round opponent will be either 21-year-old Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri, or always dangerous Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan.
0 Comments