Indian Wells: Casper Ruud ended Frenchman Gael Monfils’ run at Indian Wells with a marathon 3-6 7-6(3) 6-4 victory and will face Tommy Paul in the quarters after the American defeated high-flying Luca Nardi with a straight sets win on Wednesday.
After struggling to put winners past the athletic Monfils in the opening set the ninth seeded Norwegian became more aggressive in a tight second set and rolled through the tiebreak.
Ruud finally broke his 37-year-old opponent for a 3-1 lead in the deciding set and cruised to the finish.
“I felt physically good and ready,” Ruud said.
“Really tough second set, it fortunately went my way. I saved a few break points there and was clutch enough in the tiebreak.”
A nice moment came when Monfils walked to the service line trailing 3-5 in the third and the crowd rose to their feet to cheer on the fan favourite, who smiled widely and waved his racket in appreciation before holding serve.
After pulling off a stunning victory over world number one Novak Djokovic on Monday, Nardi was served a dose of reality by Paul, who hit five aces and never dropped serve en route to a businesslike 6-4 6-3 win.
The 20-year-old Italian called his win over his idol Djokovic in the prior round a “miracle” but his luck ran out against hometown hero Paul.
Paul, seeded 17th, has won just one match in five meetings with Ruud.
Seventh seed Holger Rune showcased his resilience and tenacity as he fought back from the brink of defeat to stun home favourite Taylor Fritz 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach his fifth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
The young Danish sensation saved a match point in a gripping encounter that left fans at Indian Wells on the edge of their seats.
Despite a slow start and a barrage of unforced errors in the opening set, Rune refused to buckle under pressure. With Fritz dominating the court with his first-strike tennis, Rune dug deep, staying focused and determined.
Rune will next meet fourth seed and last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev in the quarters, which will mark the Dane’s first Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance outside of Europe. The pair split their first two meetings, which both were on clay.
Medvedev beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4. Agencies
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