French Open 2022 LIVE – Ruud vs Cilic Semifinals: Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday. Ruud defeated Danish teenager Holger Rune in four sets at the French Open. Ruud will now play Marin Cilic of Croatia in Semifinals on Friday: Follow French Open LIVE Updates with InsideSport.IN
French Open 2022 LIVE: Casper Ruud creates Grand Slam history for Norway, will take on Marin Cilic in RACE to French Open Finals
World number eight Ruud triumphed 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 and will meet 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic for a place in Sunday’s final.
Rune, ranked 40, had knocked out fourth seed and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round.
The 19-year-old was bidding to become the first Danish man to reach the last-four in Paris and first at any Slam since Jan Leschly at the 1967 US Championships.
However, Ruud overpowered the youngster, firing 13 aces and 55 winners while Rune had to fight off 12 of 17 break points carved out by the Norwegian.
Earlier Cilic launched 33 aces and 88 winners past seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev to reach his first French Open semi-final with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/2) win.
Friday’s other semi-final will see 13-time champion Rafael Nadal take on Alexander Zverev after his epic quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic.
Ruud will meet Cilic in the semi-final
20th seeded Marin Cilic became only the fifth active men’s player after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to make the semi-finals at all four majors.
“The fifth set was an incredible battle,” said Cilic who is in his first Grand Slam semi-final in four years.
French Open 2022: Ruud defeats Rune to reach first Grand Slam semi-final, will face former US champion Cilic
“Andrey played so well. Today was my day. He just didn’t have the luck.”
Rublev grabbed the first set but wilted under a Cilic barrage over the next two.
The Croat had stunned world number two Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and he rediscovered that free-swinging assault to level the contest with a 17th ace on a fifth set point.
He pocketed the third with a lone break in the seventh game.
Rublev, who had lost to Cilic at the Australian Open in January, battled back with a crucial break in the eighth game of the fourth set.
Cilic, the 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open runner-up to Federer, had a match point saved in the ninth game of the decider but swept through the super tiebreaker.
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