(Paris) The Norwegian Casper Ruud, world N.4 and outgoing finalist, stopped the young Dane Holger Rune (6th) 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros on Wednesday , as in 2022, and joins the German Alexander Zverev in the last four.
Zverev, ex-N. 2 in the world today 27th, dismissed the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry (49th) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day. A year after his serious right ankle injury in the middle of the semi-final against Rafael Nadal on clay in Paris, he is back at the same stage of the competition.
The other semi-final will offer the clash anticipated since the draw, between Novak Djokovic and the world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.
The two Scandinavian players, two serious outsiders in this 2023 edition, had already faced each other in the same round of the Parisian Grand Slam a year ago, with the same outcome, also in four rounds.
At 24, Ruud will play the third major semi-final of his career. The Norwegian won the first two, already at Roland-Garros and at the US Open in 2022, but he lost each time in the final afterwards, against Rafael Nadal in Paris, and Alcaraz in New York.
His victory against Rune (20) is his first against a top 10 player in 2023, he who had a very average season before Roland-Garros. It is also his first Grand Slam.
“I’m very relieved,” Ruud admitted. I tried to play without pressure, but it’s not easy in big games. Luckily for me he couldn’t feel too good in the first two sets, he made a lot of mistakes and I got a lot of free points, it helped me relax. »
For the first two innings, Rune was a shadow of his former self on Wednesday night, and Ruud didn’t have to force his talent to escape. With 18 unforced errors in the first set, then another 14 in the second, the bubbling Dane helped him a lot.
“Holgy”, who appeared tired as soon as he entered center court, recovered in the third set, after having nevertheless had to dismiss a break point in his first service game.
But Ruud was able to regain control of the situation in the fourth set, braking to lead 3 games to 1, then winning in 2:44. Rune saved two first match points on his serve, at 5-2 , but the Norwegian concluded in the next game.
Perhaps Rune paid for his efforts in the previous round, when he narrowly escaped the trap set by Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo (23rd), in the super tiebreaker of the fifth set. after four hours of play. It was his very first match won in five innings.
For the moment, the Dane continues in any case to cap in the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam.
Favorite Iga Swiatek maintained her chances of successfully defending her French Open title after easily beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
In a replay of last year’s French Open final, Swiatek scored another straight-set win over the American. She will face Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semi-finals, and still covets a third major title on clay.
Gauff, 19, is 0-7 in her career against the Pole, and she still hasn’t snatched a single set from her. Swiatek, 22, has topped the women’s world rankings for over a year.
“The quarter-finals are sometimes the toughest matches,” Swiatek said on the Philippe-Chatrier court after his victory. She (Gauff) is very young, but she has a lot of experience. I am very happy to be in the semi-finals. »
Earlier Wednesday, Haddad Maia completed another winning comeback after beating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 to become the first Brazilian player since 1968 to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament.
Haddad Maia, 14th seed, shrugged off a slow start against Jabeur on the Philippe-Chatrier court en route to victory.
After playing a nearly four-hour match against Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, Haddad Maia won just one service game in the first set. She did, however, save the two break points offered to her opponent in the following end – both occurred in the 11th game, when the score could go to 6-5 – and she won the break. equality.
The 27-year-old Brazilian started the deciding set with two breaks to quickly build a 3-0 lead. Jabeur, the seventh seed, then lost patience and threw her racquet skyward after missing a backhand that would have allowed her to register the break as she trailed 1-4. Haddad Maia finally won the game, and sealed the outcome of the meeting in the next game.
“I had to be very patient. She is one of the best players in the world, recalled Haddad Maia on the field. It’s not easy to play against her. She sometimes plays tricks on us. »
Jabeur was a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
“I always thought the game would be very long,” added the Brazilian. That was the key for me. I was trying to stay focused on my game.”
Haddad Maia has become the first Brazilian player of the modern era to reach the semi-finals at Roland-Garros. Marie Bueno found herself in the semi-finals at the 1966 French Open, and in the 1968 United States Open.
Meanwhile, Jabeur, whose preparation for the tournament has been hampered by a calf injury, said she “didn’t expect to be in the quarter-finals, especially because it was my first tournament since my injury.”
