Casper Ruud knows how to hang tough at Roland Garros.
Repeatedly placed under pressure by Nicolas Jarry in the pair’s fourth-round clash Monday in Paris, the fourth seed battled to a 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5 victory. Ruud saved 14 of 17 break points across three tightly contested sets to reach his third major quarter-final.
The Norwegian prevailed in a first-set tie-break, rallied from 1-4 to claim the second set and then 2-4 to clinch the third and seal a three-hour, 20-minute triumph. His rock-solid baseline display in blustery conditions proved decisive against the aggressive Jarry, who hit 56 winners to Ruud’s 30 in an engrossing clash. Yet the Chilean was unable to match his opponent’s consistency at key moments.
Clinical Casper 🫡@CasperRuud98 defeats Jarry in straight sets to advance into the quarter-finals 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5!@rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/n7Hfcj155O
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2023
“It was great for me. Three very, very tough sets,” said Ruud. “I think today I can thank my team for pushing me every day in practice because not every day is as tough as [this one]. But I do the work and I felt physically fine.
“I was ready for more if we had to play more, so it was a win not just for me but my team as well. We have done great work the last couple of years, and I’m happy to be back in the quarter-finals.”
Ruud, who reached the championship match at Roland Garros last year, has now won a Tour-leading 85 matches on clay since 2020. The 24-year-old will take on Holger Rune or Francisco Cerundolo in the last eight as he continues his bid for a maiden Grand Slam crown.
[BREAK POINT]
Jarry narrowly defeated Ruud in a three-set quarter-final in Geneva just 11 days ago, and there was once again little to choose between the two players for most of Monday’s encounter. Jarry’s booming serve and powerful groundstrokes ensured he was competitive throughout but Ruud’s high-class defensive skills frequently made the difference in longer exchanges.
Ruud was a point away from falling to a double-break deficit in the second set, but he saved break point at 1-4, 30/40 to hold. That was typical of the World No. 4’s display, as he raised his level to great effect to keep Jarry in his sights.
After completing his second-set comeback, Ruud repeated the feat in the third to frustrate Jarry. He won five of the final six games to clinch victory and improve his ATP Head2Head series record against the Chilean to 2-1.
“It’s difficult. His serve is great, he plays very aggressive,” said Ruud, when asked about the deep returning position he used to counter Jarry’s delivery. “I’m happy that I had enough court to work with today. This court is probably the biggest court on clay that we have, so for me who likes to return from the back, it’s good.
“It’s tough. It’s been windy this year. I think I managed to do well. I was down a break in both the second and the third [sets]… I was very happy I was able to neutralise his serve and win the most important points of the match.”
Despite his defeat, Jarry’s run in Paris was a continuation of the his resurgence in 2023. The Chilean began the year at No. 152 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings but lifted his second and third ATP Tour titles, respectively, in Santiago and Geneva to rise to a career-high No. 35 on the eve of Roland Garros. With his fourth-round appearance in the French capital, the 27-year-old has risen six spots to No. 29 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.