Roland Garros: Casper Ruud downs Holger Rune. Is this his year?

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The 4th seed Casper Ruud is through to his second consecutive Roland Garros semi-final. The Norwegian faced Holger Rune in the second round and earned a 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 triumph in two hours and 44 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Thus, Ruud will face Alexander Zverev in Friday's semi-final, hoping to advance into the title clash as a year ago. Casper entered the match with a 4-1 lead over Holger, and he played better tonight to deliver his fifth triumph over the Dane.

A better-ranked player stayed focused from start to finish, clinching the opening two sets in just over an hour and starting all over in the fourth to seal the deal in style. Rune hit one ace and nine double faults, dropping 43% of the points in his games and getting broken five times from 13 chances offered to his rival.

Ruud defended six out of seven break chances, playing better in the pivotal moments and wrapping up the triumph that keeps him on the course toward his first Major crown.

Holger Rune will play in his second consecutive Roland Garros semi-final.

Rune hit 48 winners and 47 unforced errors, playing more aggressive tennis but losing ground after collecting over 40 forced mistakes. Ruud tamed his strokes nicely and built a massive advantage in the mid-range rallies that carried him over the top.

Casper denied two break points in the encounter's first game and broke Holger at love in game two for 2-0. Rune erased three break points in the fourth game to avoid an even more significant deficit before Ruud broke him two games later for 5-1.

The Norwegian held at 15 in game seven to wrap up the opener in style and gain a boost. Casper dropped seven points behind the initial shot in the second set and kept the pressure on the other side. Holger made two fine holds but could not keep the rival's pace.

He squandered a game point in the first game to experience a break and repeated that in the fifth to fall 4-1 behind. Ruud wrapped up the set on his third set point at 5-2, opening a massive advantage after 63 minutes! The third set was decided in the early stages.

Rune denied a break point in the first game to end his downfall and grabbed his first and only break in game two. Carried by this boost, the Dane served well in the remaining games and wrapped up the set after deuce at 5-3 to force the fourth and extend his chances.

Holger missed his opportunity at 1-2 and got broken to find himself closer to the exit door. Ruud saved two break points in the fifth game to open a 4-1 gap and held at 30 two games later for 5-2. Holger served to stay in the match in game eight and faced two match points.

He saved them and held, giving everything to extend the duel. Casper moved 40-0 on serve at 5-3 and earned three more match points. He converted the third after the rival's forced error to advance into the semi-final.