Zverev

Emulating past successes is never easy, but The Norwegian charged to his third championship match in the space of five Grand Slam events with a seemingly nerveless 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 semi-final victory against “Honestly I just went out there and tried to play without too many feelings, without thinking too much,” said Ruud in his on-court interview. “If it’s towards the end of the tournament, everyone here playing today has done well anyway. So I tried to play without pressure, without thinking too much, and not to play with too much emotion, if that makes sense. “Today just went really well. From the beginning to the last point everything was going my way, luckily, and I’m just very happy to win this match.” Ruud converted six of 10 break points he earned to book his spot in Sunday’s championship match, where he will play for his maiden major title. His opponent there will be two-time champion You May Also Like: Ruud arrived at “I didn’t come into “Obviously I [thought then that I] would love to be back in the final like last year, and I [was] always thinking about trying to defend this final spot from last year, but here we are, two weeks later. It’s been two very fun weeks here in Paris, just as fun as last year, and hopefully the third time can be the charm for me.” Ruud was 83rd in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin after his third-round exit in Miami in April, but he has now surged to eighth as he chases a third consecutive appearance at the The dominant feature of hi...

Casper Ruud celebrates winning his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev. He is through to Sunday’s final, where he will face Novak Djokovic. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters Casper Ruud celebrates winning his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev. He is through to Sunday’s final, where he will face Novak Djokovic. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters 9 Jun 2023 21.39 BST Match report from the Press Association Novak Djokovic will take on the fourth seed Casper Ruud, who reached the final at Roland Garros for the second year in succession with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 hammering of Alexander Zverev. The German had made it back to the last four a year after leaving Philippe Chatrier in a wheelchair when he suffered an ankle injury against Rafael Nadal. Zverev simply could not match Ruud, though, with the Norwegian having put aside a difficult start to the season to find top form again in Paris. Ruud, who will bid for a first grand slam title in his third final, said: “I just went out there and tried to play without too many feelings, without thinking too much. “Today I just played really well and from the beginning to the last point everything was sort of going my way. I’m just very happy to win this match. Hopefully third time can be the charm for me.” • • 9 Jun 2023 20.57 BST Well thank you for joining me for this semi-final! In the end Ruud was a lot more clinical than everyone was expecting, beating Zverev in straight sets. But he will have to go up anothe...

PARIS, June 9 (Reuters) - A flawless Casper Ruud returned to the French Open final for a second year running by dismantling German 22nd seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-4 6-0 in a battle of big-hitters on Friday to set up a showdown with 22-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Ruud, who was swept aside by Rafa Nadal in straight sets as the Spaniard won his 14th crown on the Parisian clay last year, endured an up-and-down 2023 season until his return to Roland Garros where he has returned to peak form. The 24-year-old will face the ultimate test in his quest for a maiden Grand Slam when he meets Djokovic, who advanced to the title clash after beating an ailing Carlos Alcaraz. "It's going to be tough this year against Novak. Two of the toughest in history and will be the underdog again," Ruud said. "I know Novak is trying to be the greatest. I'm going to try my best. He's going for Grand Slam number 23 and I'm going for my first, so there's a big difference." Ruud swapped early breaks with Zverev before turning up the heat on a warm evening on Court Philippe Chatrier by pounding the German with some vicious, spin-heavy forehands to go up 5-2 en route to claiming the opening set. Zverev, playing in a third straight Roland Garros semi-final at the scene of his season-ending ankle injury last year, wasted an early opening in the next set and found himself in trouble as fourth seed Ruud snatched another break in the seventh game. Ruud extended his lead in the match and continued...