New York [US], August 29 : The 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud defeated home qualifier Emilio Nava 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) on Court 17 in US Open to earn his 200th tour-level victory on Monday.
The fifth seed overcame an aggressive display from the 21-year-old Nava, who smashed 72 winners to Ruud's 27 but lacked the consistency needed to pull off an upset.
Ruud, in a highly intense game, kept his calm and committed only 21 unforced errors against Nava's 49 across four sets. That attitude was especially important in the tie-breaks he won in the first and fourth sets, where Ruud's greater experience showed.
Ruud is now 10-5 at the US Open, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's final. His next opponent in his quest for another deep run at Flushing Meadows will be Zhang Zhizhen, who defeated J.J. Wolf in the first round 7-5, 7-5, 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-3.
Meanwhile, Roberto Carballes Baena pulled off the first major upset on Monday, defeating fourth seed Holger Rune 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Carballes Baena broke Rune seven times on Court 5 and won his maiden Top 10 match in two hours and 42 minutes. He held firm against a visibly frustrated Rune, who has now lost four straight tour-level matches since his Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.
“Disappointing day today, I had, as you know, a setback after the tournaments in Toronto and Cincy, where I had to retire. Not the best preparation I had,” Rune said as quoted by ATP's official website.
“Not satisfied with the result obviously, but also with my tennis. There is only one way, and it's to work,” he further said.
“I think also one of the reasons, you know, it's not ideal that I didn't get more matches coming into this tournament, because the body, it's hard if you're not in the rhythm for the body," he said. "Start feeling something on my left leg behind the knee. Not muscular, so I don't know, I have to check what it is. I felt it, the treatment helped a little bit.”
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