NEW DELHI: Casper Ruud, last year's French Open runner-up, secured his spot in the tournament's third round with a hard-fought victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri in Paris on Thursday.
Despite facing a resilient opponent ranked 129th in the world, the Norwegian fourth seed managed to prevail with a 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 win on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Initially, Ruud seemed on track for a comfortable victory, but Zeppieri managed to snatch the third set, making the match more challenging for the Norwegian.
Additionally, Ruud had a hiccup when serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, but he eventually sealed the victory on his second attempt.
In the next round, Ruud will face either Argentinian qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante or Zhang Zhizhen, who became the first Chinese man to win a main-draw match at Roland Garros since 1937.
The match will determine who secures a spot in the last 16, and it is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Having reached the final last year, where he lost to Rafael Nadal, the 24-year-old Ruud aims to make another deep run in the tournament and potentially go one step further this time.
