With numbers 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, Casper Ruud reached the round of 16, which will be held on Monday. The match lasted two hours and 46 minutes and ended near one o'clock in the evening on Sunday.
Ruud's 24-year-old opponent played 18 break points and won six of them, but in the end he had to lose to the Norwegian for the third time in as many matches.
The audience gaped
During the match, Ruud impressed the crowd when he decided on a stunning exchange, which included several shots into the net, with a winning shot between the legs.
Afterwards, fans couldn't wait for their words of praise, with many people writing on X that this had to be the best match of the tournament so far.
-I love tennis. I love Roland Garros. But I'm not sure if I like playing tennis at one in the morning. It's a little late, but the fans are here, so I should be here. So, thank you to those who attended, Ruud told the organizer after the match.
The richest man in Norway is in his place
Sitting in the booth was Gustav Magnar Fitsoe – model, billionaire heir and the richest man in Norway, along with the tennis player's family and coaches.
Rod is sponsored by the Salmar company owned by Witzøe's father, Gustav Witzøe.
The next opponent is ready
The next competitor will be American Taylor Fritz, who is ranked 12th in the ATP rankings. He defeated Greek Thanasi Kokkinakis in a five-set match that lasted nearly four hours.
Rudd had met the 26-year-old American once before. He won the deciding set tiebreak in the 2022 ATP Playoffs group stage.
If Ruud also wins this match, it will likely be a quarter-final match against world number one Novak Djokovic.
Breach upon breach
Etcheverry had already tied Ruud's serve in the first game of the match, but it was Ruud who in the next game earned three break points at 0-40 and broke for a 2-0 lead.
The advantage did not last long, because on the next play, Ruud's double fault gave the opponent a rebound which he took advantage of. Neither player was completely comfortable on serve, and there were as many as five service breaks in the first set.
Ruud broke his opponent's serve to lead 4-2, but Echeverry responded by breaking serve when he served the Norwegian to settle the set, the score 5-4. It didn't help much, because Ruud broke to win the set 6-4 after 51 minutes.
The Norwegian complained to the referee that there was too much gravel on the balls and that it was not possible to get the right speed on them. He held serve at 1-0 in the second set, but Echeverry got the first break and took a 3-1 lead.
Bad view
Echeverry had more break points than Ruud in the first set, but he used them worse. In the second set, he was the only one able to break serve.
Ruud held serve at 1-0, but was broken three times in a row, and the Argentine won the set 6-1.
After leaving that set, and apparently suffering from mood swings, Ruud shined again in the third set. He broke immediately for a 1-0 lead and by that point had won four of six break points in the match, while Echeverry had won five of 16.
Between the legs
Ruud then electrified the crowd when he decided on a stunning exchange, which included several shots into the net, with a winning shot between the legs. Crossing 2-0 he held serve to 4-2 and then broke to 5-2 in a match in which he won four straight points from 15-40.
Ruud had to fend off a break before serving out the third set to take a 6-2 lead on the fourth set point. In the fourth set he broke again on the first attempt and was ultimately superior.
(© NTB)
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