French Open: Norway’s Ruud to 1st Slam quarterfinal

The Latest on the French Open tennis tournament (all times local):

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3:30 p.m.

Casper Ruud has reached the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career by beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at Roland Garros.

The eighth-seeded Ruud is the first man from Norway to get to the round of eight at the French Open.

Ruud will face the winner of the fourth-round match between 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune, a 19-year-old from Denmark.

The 12th-seeded Hurkacz was a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year. He had lost in the first round of the French Open in three consecutive appearances.

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2:35 p.m.

Rafael Nadal didn’t get his preference on the timing of his blockbuster quarterfinal match against top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the French Open.

The 13-time champion at Roland Garros wanted a day match Tuesday to avoid the slightly slower conditions on the clay courts at night. But organizers have made it the marquee night match on Day 10, scheduled to start at 8:45 p.m., after negotiating with rights-holding broadcasters to ensure all viewers in France can watch coverage of the the match for free.

Nadal got through a five-set win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round on Sunday to set up a record 59th matchup against Djokovic.

He has an overall win-loss record of 109-3 at Roland Garros. Two of those three losses in Paris came against Djokovic, including in last year’s semifinals.

Nadal won the Australian Open in January for a record 21st men’s Grand Slam title, breaking a tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer. Djokovic missed the tournament after being deported from Australia because he wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

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2 p.m.

Veronika Kudermetova reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Madison Keys, ending the chances of four American women reaching the last eight at the French Open for the first time in two decades.

Keys, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2018 and the quarterfinals the following year, dominated the opening set but lost rhythm after Kudermetova took a bathroom break before the second set.

She held and then broke Keys’ serve to take a 2-0 lead in the second, which she served out on her seventh set point.

Kudermetova broke in the opening game of the third set after being down 40-0 and, with the exception of a service break in the fourth game, controlled the rest of the match.

Kudermetova hadn’t been past the third round in singles at any of her previous 12 major tournaments. Keys was a runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Open and was coming off a semifinal run at the Australian Open.

Keys and Jessica Pegula went into the fourth round hoping for wins to ensure four American women in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time since 2002. Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff have already advanced on the other side of the draw.

Pegula was playing Irina-Camelia Begu later Monday.

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12:40 p.m.

Daria Kasatkina has matched her best performance in a major by reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Camila Giorgi.

The 20th-seeded Kasatkina saved a break point as she served for the match and clinched it on back-to-back unforced errors from Giorgi.

She will next play either Madison Keys or Veronika Kudermetova.

“I’m excited about the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, most important,” said Kasatkina, who reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2018. “It doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the net.”

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12:05 p.m.

The International Tennis Federation has awarded Stan Smith its highest honor, the Philippe Chatrier Award.

Smith won the singles titles at the U.S. Open in 1971 and Wimbledon the following year, and also won five Grand Slam doubles titles and was part of seven Davis Cup winning teams for the United States.

The award, named after the former ITF president, was introduced in 1996 and recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the sport.

Off the court, Smith established his Stan Smith shoe brand in the 1970s and had coaching roles with the USTA, working with players including Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Michael Chang.

″(Smith) has made an enormous contribution to tennis on and off the court for more than half a century and it is an honor to recognize his achievements,” ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement.

The award will be officially presented Monday at the ITF World Champions Awards in Paris.

Smith, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, said he was joining a “great list of people who have done great jobs on the court but also off the court.”

“It is also very special because I knew Philippe Chatrier well, and he has done so much for the game,” Smith said.

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11:10 a.m.

Action at Roland Garros is underway on Day 9 with Daria Kasatkina playing Camila Giorgi in a fourth-round match on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Madison Keys is scheduled to open play on Court Philippe Chatrier against No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova.

Wins for Keys and for 11th-seeded Jessica Pegula over Irina-Camelia Begu would ensure four U.S. women in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time since 2002. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, and 18-year-old Coco Gauff have already advanced.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek will be chasing a 32nd consecutive win when she plays Zheng Qinwen. Swiatek is aiming to equal the third-longest win streak on the women’s tour since 2000. Venus Williams leads that list with 35 in 2000, followed by Serena Williams with 34 in 2013 and Justine Henin with 32 in 2008.

In men’s fourth-round matches, 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet Holger Rune of Denmark and U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev has a night match against 33-year-old Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion.