Paris, May 28 (UNI) Casper Ruud continued his stellar form at the French Open by defeating Felipe Meligeni Alves in straight sets, securing his place in the second round at Roland Garros here on Tuesday.
The Norwegian, who was a finalist in the past two years, dominated the Brazilian with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory. Ruud, who recently won the Geneva Open, will now face Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Ruud's match against Alves proved to be less challenging than it might have been had he faced Jakub Mensik. Despite this, Ruud demonstrated his prowess, breezing through the match in just under two hours. His impressive record at Roland Garros now stands at 13-2 since 2022, with 12 of those victories achieved in three or four sets.
In the first set, Ruud overcame three break points to level at 3-3, before breaking Alves to take a 5-3 lead. Although the Brazilian resisted initially, Ruud eventually sealed the set 6-3.
The second set featured an early break at 1-0 for Ruud, with no further break points on either side, allowing Ruud to close it out 6-4. The final set saw Ruud break at 2-1, maintaining his composure as Alves struggled to challenge his serve, ultimately winning the set 6-3.
Also advancing under the roofs was Tomas Martin Etcheverry, the 28th seed, who defeated Arthur Cazaux.
Etcheverry overcame the Frenchman 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in a match lasting over three hours. Etcheverry will next face the winner of the Arthur Rinderknech versus Adam Walton match, with a potential third-round clash against Ruud on the horizon.
French hopes were further dampened with Cazaux's defeat, following Alize Cornet's earlier exit. Despite a strong start, Cazaux was unable to sustain his momentum against Etcheverry, adding to the home crowd's disappointment. UNI BDN SSP