French Open : Casper Ruud outlasts Holger Rune to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal

Casper Rudd started the match aggressively and quickly took the lead by a set and a break. However, Holger Rune soon found his footing and broke the Norwegian twice to win the second set. 

Casper Rudd got a lead in the third set, but his Danish opponent soon erased his advantage. He fired 17 winners in the third set on Court Philippe Chatrier to break the crucial tiebreak with a brilliant display of baseline play and controlled rallies. The 23-year-old Norwegian outsmarted trademark drop shots used by Holger Rune to regain his lead.

Casper Rudd kept on mounting pressure on Holgar Rune in the fourth set. The No. eight seed got a breakthrough in the eight-game. However, he had to fight back through three deuces when he lost his 40-0 advantage, after which he served out the match with ease to seal his victory. 

Casper Rudd fired 55 winners compared to just 24 unfocused errors. The victory improved his head to head record against Holgar Rune to 4-0. Casper Rudd has become the first man from Norway to compete in a Grand Slam quarter-final. He currently has the highest number of ATP Tour-level wins on clay since 2020 and has won eight tour-level titles in the last two years, with seven of them coming on clay.

Holger Rune aimed to become the youngest man since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam event. This year, the Dane was the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-final at Roland Garros. He went into the French Open at his career-best ranking of World No. 40. The 19-year-old won his maiden trophy at Munich Open last month, and despite his loss to Casper Rudd, his ranking has improved by 12 spots to reach World No. 28.

In a post-match interview, Casper Rudd said, "These are the matches you dream about playing and hopefully, even the final if possible. I have to be focused and bring my 'A' game in the semifinal because Marin has played great all week. It's going to be another tough match.

Casper Rudd will lock horns with Marin Čilić of Croatia at the French Open semifinal on June 3

'It's a big lie' - Casper Rudd slams Holger Runer over shout claim

Holger Rune claimed that Casper Rudd shouted in his face after winning the match. However, the Norwegian has hit back at that statement and accused Holger Rune of lying in an interview with Eurosport Norway.

Casper Rudd claimed that he was in the same dressing room as Holger Rune. He said, "I took an ice bath, ate some pizza and listened to music before we went home. While Holger sat in his part of the dressing room.

Holger Rune has claimed that the 23-year-old Norwegian shouted 'YES' on his face in the dressing room. However, Casper Rudd has claimed that the story is fabricated and that he is disappointed by his opponent for creating lies.

Casper Rudd said, "How he creates the story of me shouting 'YES' straight into his face is just a lie. It never happened. It is a big lie. It's disappointing that he creates lies about me. It doesn't matter if he thinks I am a player who doesn't follow the fair play rules; that's not what matters.