The 5th-seeded Norwegian won with the numbers 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2. After completely dominating the first two sets, he had to step up to secure the victory after Moutet played himself up. – Fortunately, I managed to break a couple of times in the fourth set. I didn’t change much, but I was able to dictate the match more, said Ruud in an interview with the organizer. IN FORM: Casper Ruud. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP It is the first time Ruud is in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament on faster surfaces than clay. This spring he made it all the way to the final in Roland-Garros, but until Sunday the 4th round was the best ranking in Grand Slam tournaments on hard court or grass. In the quarter-finals he meets Italian Matteo Berrettini, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in five sets. Moutet is ranked 112th in the world, 105 places behind Ruud. He actually lost in the qualification for the US Open, but after a decline still entered the main draw as a so-called “lucky loser”. The colorful and versatile Frenchman, who among other things writes poetry and has released a rap song, impressed when he beat Stan Wawrinka, Botic van de Zandschulp and Pedro Cachin on his way to the fourth round, but stopped there. WAITING: Matteo Berrettini will compete with Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. Photo: Julia Nikhinson / AP Scared from the start Right from the start, Moutet seemed scarily good in the match between the two 23-year-olds. The Frenchman, who is a few months younger than Ruud, got two break points in the Norwegian’s first service game, but Ruud pulled it off. Then Moutet won his first service game cleanly. It was the last time in the set that Moutet could celebrate a game victory. Ruud got his first two break points at 15-40 in the 4th game and took advantage of the first when, after a long ball exchange, he ran up the ball outside the court and hit it on the outside of the net post and into the line. Moutet threatened to hit back directly when he led 30-0 on Ruud’s serve, but the Norwegian responded by winning four straight points and going up 4-1. Then he got another break ball and converted it to make it 5-1. After 37 minutes he had won the first set 6-1. Pushups and penalty points The Frenchman thus punished himself with pushups after abusing a game ball at 40-30 in his own serve when the 2nd set started, but he still limped to land the game to 1-0. In his next service game, Ruud broke for a 2-1 lead. BEAT Corentin Moutet. Photo: ELSA / AFP Ruud abused a couple of break points in Moutet’s next service game, but instead broke for 5-2 the next time. Moutet, in frustration, hit a ball out of the stadium for the second time in the match, and received a point penalty for it. Thus, Ruud started with 15-0 when he had to serve home the set. He did so cleanly, and finished with an ace. Whether Moutet played up or Ruud relaxed a little when the match seemed won, it was even in the third set, and it also tilted in the Frenchman’s favor after the tiebreak. Ruud broke to make it 3-2, but Moutet fought back. He got his first break point since the first game of the match and broke back to 4-4. In the tiebreak, he put down several great winners and won the last three points on his way to 7-4. Ruud double-faulted on the set ball. Decided At 2-1 in the fourth set, Ruud got two break points with good play. Moutet won the first after a spectacular exchange of balls, but struck out on the next, and Ruud led 3-1. The Norwegian fended off two break points before serving for 4-1 after just over three hours of play at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Moutet, who constantly complained about refereeing decisions, was even displeased when he was denied a point after the ball bounced twice on his side before he hit it. At 5-2 to Ruud, he challenged the referee’s patience by complaining that he had been told about time use. The Norwegian got three match points in Moutet’s serve and decided the match with the last one after three hours and 19 minutes. Ruud beat Britain’s Kyle Edmunds in straight sets in the 1st round, Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven in four sets in the 2nd round and American Tommy Paul in a five-set thriller in the 3rd round. – I am lucky to play today. When my father played, the hard courts were much faster. They have done us clay players a favor by slowing them down. I like to play on it, although gravel is still my favourite, said Ruud.
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Brennhet Ruud played his way to a strong quarter-final – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
