French Open: Casper Ruud makes history as first man from Norway to reach Grand Slam semifinal
Casper Ruud has become the first man from Norway to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament, getting that far at the French Open by beating 19-year-old Holger Rune of Denmark 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
The eighth-seeded Ruud’s 3-hour, 15-minute victory at Court Philippe Chatrier began Wednesday night and ended after midnight.
Ruud, 23, leads the ATP with 65 wins in clay-court matches since the start of the 2020 season. That includes defeating 2019 French Open junior champion Rune four times.
Ruud ended up with just one more winner than the big-hitting Rune, 55-54, and that edge arrived on the very last point with a forehand that originally was called out before the chair umpire overruled and said the ball touched the line.
The big difference: Ruud made only 24 unforced errors, while Rune had 46.
Their match got a bit testy, with Ruud telling Rune he didn’t appreciate him questioning an obvious officiating call.
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