Casper Ruud survived in five to reach the third round at Roland Garros and could be challenged once again on Saturday, this time by Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Taylor Fritz and Thanasi Kokkinakis are also taking the court.
(28) Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. (7) Casper Ruud
Ruud is among the favorites at what looks like a relatively up-for-grabs French Open title, so an early exit would have been–and still would be–tough to take. That was almost the case during second-round action on Thursday night, when the seventh-ranked Norwegian was pushed to five sets by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina but managed to prevail 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 after four hours and eight minutes. Ruud extended his winning streak to six matches, which also includes last week’s Geneva title and a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 first-round victory over Felipe Meligeni Alves.
Up next on Saturday is a third meeting with Etcheverry. Both of their previous encounters have gone Ruud’s way; 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) last fall on the hard courts of Beijing and 7-6(6), 6-4 earlier this spring in the Barcelona semifinals. As those competitive results indicate, Etcheverry cannot be discounted. The 29th-ranked Argentine made a run to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year and he has already won 18 tour-level matches in 2024. Although fatigue could be a factor for Ruud, keep in mind that Etcheverry also played in a final last week (lost to Giovanno Mpetshi Perricard in Lyon) and battled through almost four full sets in the French Open second round (got a retirement from Arthur Rinderknech). Ruud, a two-time runner-up at this tournament, should have the edge both mentally and physically if this match goes down to the wire.
Pick: Ruud in 5
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(12) Taylor Fritz vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
Kokkinakis often has a flair for the dramatic on the tennis court and this French Open has been no exception. The 28-year-old Australian went the distance in each of his first two matches; 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 against compatriot Alexei Popyrin and 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 against qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.
Things only get tougher with Fritz on the other side of the net in round three. This will be their first meeting in almost six full years, with the head-to-head series tied at 1-1. Both encounters have come in Los Cabos; Kokkinakis got the job done 7-6(5), 6-2 in 2017 before Fritz won 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in 2018. The story so far this week has been much different for Fritz, who needed four mostly routine sets against both Federico Coria and Dusan Lajovic. The 12th-ranked American has been on fire this spring, highlighted by a runner-up showing in Munich, a semifinal run in Madrid, and a quarterfinal performance in Rome. He will almost certainly be way too good for a fatigued Kokkinakis.
Pick: Fritz in 3
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WWW?
TME in 5 upset 🚨
Fritz in 4 or Kokkinakis retirement second set
Rudd in 4; Fritz in 3.
You have to give it to Kokkinakis because, time and time again, he’s proven that he can defy the probabilities. In fact, he doesn’t even care about the probabilities; he just goes out and gives his best on the day and lot of the time, it’s good enough to win or at least be a lot more competitive than anyone expected.