Casper Ruud, final 12 months’s runner-up, will tackle Novak Djokovic within the French Open last after the Norwegian thrashed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 on Friday.
Ruud is thru to his third Grand Slam last in his previous 5 tournaments. He was runner-up to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022 after which misplaced to Carlos Alcaraz within the US Open last.
The 24-year-old Ruud broke Zverev six instances because the Olympic champion’s French Open run ended within the semi-finals for the third time in a row.
“I just went out there and tried to play without thinking too much, trying to play without pressure, and just played really well today,” stated Ruud, whose 87 wins on clay are probably the most since 2020.
Ruud has had a difficult 12 months and arrived in Paris with an underwhelming 16-11 document.
The fourth-ranked Ruud has by no means received a set towards Djokovic in 4 conferences, though this can be their first match-up at a serious.
“I didn’t come into Roland Garros thinking I was the favourite to reach the final. It’s been two very fun weeks in Paris and hopefully third time can be a charm for me,” he stated.
For Zverev, it was one other bitter end on the identical court docket the place he suffered season-ending ankle ligament harm in his semi-final towards Nadal 12 months in the past.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
