After back-to-back finals in Paris, Casper Ruud will be hoping he can go one step better this time round. The Norwegian begins his hunt for a first French Open title on Tuesday, taking on qualifier Felipe Meligeni Alves for a spot in the second round. If he can reach top form, Ruud is definitely in with a chance of taking this quarter of the draw given Novak Djokovic’s relative struggles.
Meligeni Alves is in a slam for the second time in his career, following up his 2023 US Open qualification with another good performance here. He didn’t drop a set in his three wins, capping it off by easing past Jaime Faria in the final round. Alves is a common sight on the Challenger Tour and in ITFs, especially on the clay where his best performances have come. Of his 30 finals reached across the two, all but one of them were on clay.
Ruud won his second title in as many months in Geneva, pulling double duty on Saturday to beat Flavio Cobolli and then Tomas Machac. It will have provided a great confidence booster for him after disappointing losses in Madrid and Rome. “It was a challenging week,” said Ruud. “All the matches are tough, no matter who you play. Tough to find a groove, the weather has been a bit challenging all week but today was fantastic. I feel very happy to win again here in Geneva. It’s been a very good season so far.”
After a testing weekend, this should be a nice start for Ruud against an opponent who has remains unproven at main tour level. The 7th seed has a nice opening week if all goes to plan with Taylor Fritz or Tomas Etcheverry the toughest opponents he could play if seedings hold.
Prediction – Casper Ruud in straight sets
