Ailing Ruud ousted, Alcaraz advances at French

Clearly hampered by a atrocious near knee, two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud dropped 13 of the past 14 games, mislaid 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 to Nuno Borges successful the 2nd circular astatine Roland Garros connected Wednesday and past revealed helium had been playing successful symptom off-and-on passim the clay-court season.

The seventh-seeded Ruud reached astatine slightest the semifinals each of the past 3 years successful Paris -- finishing arsenic the runner-up to Rafael Nadal successful 2022 and Novak Djokovic successful 2023 -- and this is his earliest exit astatine the tourney since bowing retired successful the 2nd circular successful his debut successful 2018.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a one-set blip to decision Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, and Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante upset erstwhile satellite No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded 20th, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

Gigante, 23, picked up his archetypal triumph against an hostile successful the apical 20, winning consecutive matches astatine a tour-level lawsuit for the archetypal time. The triumph acceptable up a third-round gathering with American No. 13 effect Ben Shelton.

For the past respective weeks, Ruud has been taking pain-killing and anti-inflammatory pills, and helium did truthful again Wednesday. But Ruud said the genu began bothering him successful the archetypal acceptable against Borges, who is ranked 41st and became the archetypal Portuguese antheral to get to the French Open's 3rd round. Borges volition look Alexei Popyrin successful the 3rd circular aft the Australian subordinate eased past Alejandro Tabilo successful consecutive sets.

Ruud said the worst changeable for his genu is an open-stance backhand, successful which helium slides connected his near foot, truthful helium has been avoiding it successful practice.

"Certain movements retired determination are benignant of what makes it painful. Certain shots are achy to do," said Ruud, who besides reached the last astatine the 2023 US Open. "When you're playing matches, you can't truly power it successful the aforesaid mode [as successful practice]. You bash everything you tin to get to each ball. Sometimes you benignant of hide that this is simply a changeable I shouldn't spell for."

Ruud was visited by a trainer and took immoderate pills during Wednesday's match, but thing seemed to help.

"It's a Slam. I emotion this tournament," Ruud said. "Looking back, I tried my champion to proceed [and tried] to debar the shots that are hurting. But towards the end, determination were besides different movements that started hurting, truthful it wasn't ideal."

He said the problems began successful his archetypal clay lawsuit of the pre-French Open stretch, astatine Monte Carlo successful April, and that helium had aesculapian exams a mates of weeks aboriginal successful Madrid, wherever helium won the title. Ruud pulled retired of the Geneva Open, which was played past week.

Now helium volition person much tests done.

"I took 5 days wholly disconnected astatine home. It wasn't capable to marque the symptom spell away," Ruud said. "I privation I could enactment present longer."

Alcaraz was toppled by Marozsan connected the clay courts of Rome 2 years agone and had moments of vulnerability connected Court Philippe-Chatrier connected Wednesday, but the 22-year-old ensured determination would beryllium nary aboriginal ending to his bid for a 5th Grand Slam title.

"It was a large match. I started playing well," Alcaraz said. "In the archetypal set, I had truly precocious confidence. In the 2nd set, helium started to play overmuch amended and helium was truly aggressive. He didn't miss astatine all, truthful it was a small hard to woody with his crippled successful the 2nd set, but I'm truly blessed I stayed beardown and refreshed myself."

Alcaraz besides got to bash thing helium ever wanted: sing to the fans astatine Roland Garros, utilizing a familiar-sounding refrain often belted retired by crowds.

Perhaps fittingly, it is to the tune of a Spanish paso doble. It goes "Po-po-po-po-po-po po-lolo" -- arsenic the French constitute it -- and is followed by a intermission and past an "Olé."

Alcaraz aboriginal said helium had been reasoning astir doing that opus aft an interrogation past year, but it ne'er happened.

"I conscionable emotion it present and had immoderate truly large moments," Alcaraz said. "I anticipation radical erstwhile they near the court, they near with a smile."

Alcaraz volition adjacent look Damir Dzumhur, who shrugged disconnected a nasty autumn to outlast big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

For Tsitsipas, the nonaccomplishment was a large stumble astatine a tourney wherever helium had reached astatine slightest the quarterfinals 4 times since 2020. It's besides different aboriginal nonaccomplishment astatine a large this year, aft falling successful the archetypal circular to Alex Michelsen astatine the Australian Open.

"I expected bigger things from myself these 2 weeks," said Tsitsipas, who besides mislaid successful the 2nd circular successful 2018. "I seemed to beryllium playing immature sometimes during the match."

The 26-year-old Greek subordinate berated himself for gifting Gigante immoderate points, arsenic Tsitsipas deed 49 unforced errors connected Court Simonne-Mathieu.

"I wasn't afloat contiguous successful the moment," helium said. "So I would picture that [as] immaturity, not knowing however to grip those situations."

Gigante sealed the triumph with an ace, and the unheralded Italian received a affable hug astatine the nett from Tsitsipas.

"I person to springiness recognition to my opponent, helium played unthinkable tennis," Tsitsipas said. "He handled the unit moments precise well."

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