Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry and Norwegian Casper Ruud will play today in the third round of the French tournament Roland Garros.
In 2024, currently ranked 29th in the world rankings, Tomas Etcheverry has shown positive results, especially on clay courts, winning 17 out of 26 matches. His overall win-loss record for 2024 stands at 19:14. Despite lacking titles this year, Etcheverry has shown improvement, aiming to break into the top 20 and then the top 10 in world tennis. At the Lyon tournament, he reached the final, where he lost to James Mpeshi-Pericrad with scores of 4:6, 6:1, 6:7.
At the current Roland Garros, Etcheverry confidently defeated his initial opponents. In the first round, he won against Arthur Kazo with scores of 3:6, 6:2, 6:1, 6:4, and then in a tense match, he overcame Arthur Rinderknech, who retired in the fourth set at 1:6, 3:6, 8:6, 7:5, 0:5. Etcheverry utilised his powerful serve and ability to control the game from the baseline, which has taken him to the third round where his opponent will be Casper Ruud, the finalist of the last two Roland Garros tournaments.
Facing Ruud, despite his recent successes, Etcheverry faces a tough challenge as the Norwegian is the clear favourite. Nevertheless, the Argentine has demonstrated his strong play on clay, which could make the upcoming match more competitive and interesting. Etcheverry will use his forehand and serve to complicate Ruud's task, showing that he can challenge even high-calibre opponents.
Ranked 7th in the world, Casper Ruud continues his performance at Roland Garros with two victories this season on clay in Geneva and Barcelona, showcasing an overall record of 37 wins to 9 losses for 2024. This season, the Norwegian has won 19 out of 23 matches on clay, affirming his expertise on this surface. Ruud started the Paris tournament with a confident victory over Meligeni Rodrigues Alves with scores of 6:3, 6:4, 6:3, demonstrating high-class play.
However, in the next round, Ruud faced a serious challenge, winning against Davidovich Fokina with scores of 5:6, 7:7, 1:6, 6:3, 6:3 in a five-set match. This tough encounter exposed some weaknesses in Ruud’s game, such as errors on the return and issues with his serve. Despite fatigue and psychological pressure, Ruud showed character by overcoming difficulties and achieving victory, which evidences his ability to recover and adapt under challenging conditions.
Ahead of the upcoming third round against Tomas Etcheverry, his recent victory in Geneva, where he claimed the title by defeating Tomas Machac with scores of 7:5, 6:3 in the final, promises to boost his confidence in his performances. Facing Etcheverry, who also shows excellent results on clay, will be a serious challenge.
Casper Ruud and Tomas Etcheverry have met twice in professional tournaments, with the Norwegian winning both times. Their first meeting was on October 1, 2023, on a hard court in Beijing, where Etcheverry won in three sets with scores of 1:6, 7:5, 7:6. Their second encounter took place on April 20, 2024, on clay courts in Barcelona, where Ruud took revenge, winning the match in two sets with scores of 7:6, 6:4.
Ruud has become a real contender for victories on clay tournaments, and it will be extremely difficult for the Argentine. Considering delays due to rain, Casper has had time to rest after the five-set thriller. I expect a victory for the Norwegian with at least a two-set advantage.
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