(Tennis news) Large portions of Casper Ruud’s matchup with his Scandinavian opponent Holger Rune in the round of eight were won by him. The 2022 finalist at Roland Garros stormed to a two-set advantage with just three games lost. Holgar Rune took the third to stop the bleeding, but Casper Ruud reclaimed the lead by breaking for 3-1 in the fourth. The World No. 4 served out victory to advance to his second consecutive Roland Garros semi final despite blowing two set points at 5-3 on Rune’s serve. As of right now, Ruud is 18-5 in the clay court Major, where he has won 11 of his last 12 matches, and 21-11 overall, with a 16-5 record on clay.

As a result of defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry, a first-time Grand Slam quarter finals, World No. 27 Alexander Zverev advanced to his third consecutive Roland Garros semifinal. Alexander Zverev won the first game in a mouthwatering battle of two powerhouses, but Etcheverry tied the score in the second. However, the German seized a decisive two sets to one lead. In the tenth game, he managed to survive Etcheverry’s torrent of hard hits before winning in three hours and 22 minutes.

Head-to-Head

Alexander Zverev holds a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head matchups, and Casper Ruud has only triumphed in one of their three matches. However, the Norwegian won their most recent meeting in the Miami quarterfinals of the previous season. They will be playing for the first time on clay court. 

Predictions

Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud both have strong serving abilities, can hit hard from either flank, and have good footwork. Given his height, the German is a particularly good example of the latter. On clay, where they have comparable records, Ruud wins out due to his slightly greater experience, consistency, and pedigree. In comparison to Zverev, who is 121-47 and has six wins, the Norwegian is 115-42 on surfaces where he has won nine of his ten singles titles.

Both players just had four-set victories in quarterfinals. After a sluggish start to this season, Zverev is quietly playing some of his best tennis of his career, and Ruud is regaining his 2022 level. Although there isn’t much between the two players, anticipate Zverev, who has been more dominant, to play the Roland Garros final.

Also read: Djokovic set to play Alcaraz in French Open