Casper Ruud beamed following his French Open quarter-final win over Holger Rune, proclaiming Tuesday a "big day" for Norwegian tennis.
Following compatriot Ulrikke Eikeri's progression to the mixed-doubles final with Belgian Joran Vliegen, Ruud defeated Rune 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The 23-year-old had already secured his best finish at a grand slam before the win, having never previously progressed past the fourth round.
Despite becoming the first Norwegian man to make a major semi-final, Ruud was inclined to share the spotlight with Elkeri and her own success.
"A big day for Norwegian tennis, because we have also a female player Ulrikke Eikeri who made the finals of mixed doubles today," Ruud said post-match. "She’s even one step further than me!
"She will play for probably the biggest title of her life tomorrow, so I wish her luck."
He held off a spirited challenge from Rune after taking the first set in comfortable fashion, with the 19-year-old Dane securing a double break to win the second set.
Ruud showed his experience in what proved to be a critical third set, starting to anticipate Rune's variation in shot selection, stepping onto drop shots and upping the tempo from the baseline.
After claiming the third-set tie-break with relative comfort, the eighth seed closed out with an assured fourth, setting up a semi-final with the resurgent Marin Cilic.
"When you play best of five sets you will face some difficulties, some challenging moments and some good ones hopefully," Ruud said. "The third set was key for me to win. It was a long one and a very close one. It was a nice feeling to sit down and having a two sets to one lead.
"These are the matches you dream about playing and hopefully of course even the final, if it's possible. I have to be really focused and bring my A-game in the semi-final, because Marin has played great all week and it's going to be another tough match.
"That's going to be a very tough match. [Cilic] seems like he's playing some of the best tennis of his life at the moment, here in Roland Garros."
Alcaraz begins Madrid Open campaign with emphatic win
Carlos Alcaraz continued his fine record at the Madrid Open with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over Alexander Shevchenko on Friday.
The two-time defending champion made it 12 straight wins at his home tournament to ensure he will face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the last 32.
Alcaraz was playing his first match on the ATP Tour since March 28 after being unable to compete in the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to an arm injury.
But he was still able to make a fine start to his clay-court season, breaking serve in the first game and racing to victory in only one hour and eight minutes.
Data Debrief
Sometimes the scoreline can be harsh on a beaten player, but on this occasion Alcaraz was clearly dominant, breaking the Kazakh seven times in the match and forcing 11 break-point opportunities while conceding only three for his opponent.
That allowed the Spaniard to claim a dominant victory despite being broken once in each set. He will now turn his attention to a clash with Seyboth Wild, who battled past Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-4 6-4 win.
Reigning champion Sabalenka pushed by Linette at Madrid Open
Aryna Sabalenka got her Madrid Open campaign started with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Magda Linette on Friday.
Sabalenka could not quite hit her peak form against Linette, but the world number two nevertheless got the job done after going the distance.
The Belarusian is hunting a record-equalling third title in Madrid, where she is the reigning champion, though she has not won back-to-back matches at a tournament since winning the Australian Open.
"It's not about being confident," Sabalenka said. "It's about how much you're ready to do to get it. It's about the hard work and to be ready, be ready for the big fights. I feel like confidence is not going to help you in those big matches. It's about staying there and fighting for it."
Data Debrief
Sabalenka (70 per cent, 56-24) is now one of five active players since 2020 to hold a winning percentage of 70 per cent or higher at WTA-1000 events.
Iga Swiatek, Simona Halep, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are the other players to feature on that list.
Rybakina continues clay winning streak with victory over Bronzetti
In-form Elena Rybakina has moved into the last 32 of the Madrid Open after a straight sets victory over Italian Lucia Bronzetti.
Number four seed Rybakina triumphed 6-4 6-3 on Friday and will next face either Marta Kostyuk or Mayar Sherif.
Rybakina was broken early in each set but ultimately had few problems getting over the line, converting four of her five break points to continue an impressive run of results after winning the Stuttgart Open last week.
She has now won five consecutive WTA matches and has 13 straight wins on clay courts to her name in a superb streak that started one year ago.
Data Debrief: Rybakina in elite company
Since the start of 2020, only two other players have claimed as many 13 consecutive WTA wins on clay, and they are Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep, so Rybakina is in elite company.
Rybakina's last defeat on this surface came in the 2023 edition of the Madrid Open, when she fell to Anna Kalinskaya in her first match, so this win represented a better start to her campaign in the Spanish capital.
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