Casper Ruud maintained his quest for a second ATP Tour title of the season Thursday, overcoming Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach the semi-finals at the Gonet Geneva Open.

The Norwegian lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event last year and has looked comfortable on the Swiss clay again this week, backing up his opening-round win over Benoit Paire with a strong performance against Kokkinakis.

The second seed showcased great athleticism and pulled the 26-year-old around with his aggressive hitting to advance after one hour and 44 minutes and move to 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“It was difficult from the first to the last point,” Ruud said. “Thanasi is a player with big weapons, dangerous shots and he has been playing well this year. It is fun to see him back, I have known he has been struggling with injuries. It was the first time playing against him, so everything was new. I was able to break him at the end of the first set and play some good points in the tie-break and that sealed the match.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Ruud captured the sixth clay-court title of his career in Buenos Aires in February, before he enjoyed a run to the last four in Rome last week.

The 23-year-old will meet Reilly Opelka in the semi-finals after the American edged Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes.

“I expect it to be tough,” Ruud said looking ahead to his match against Opelka. “Reilly with the serve and the altitude, it is tough to return his serve. But I will do my best and see how I can do. I always enjoy playing against Reilly. He is a similar age to myself and it will be another battle against him and hopefully it will be a good one.”

The fourth seed, who has clinched crowns in Dallas and Houston in 2022, fired 14 aces and won 85 per cent (40/47) of his first-serve points to advance to his fifth semi-final of the season, surpassing the four semi-finals he reached last year.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet backed up his standout win over World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev by overcoming Pole Kamil Majchrzak 6-2, 6-4 in 89 minutes. The 35-year-old is now into his first tour-level semi-final since last July, when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Umag final.

#NextGenATP Italian Giulio Zeppieri will make his main-draw debut at Roland Garros after overcoming Frenchman Sean Cuenin 6-3, 6-4 in the third qualifying round on Thursday.

The 20-year-old, currently at a career-high No. 215 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, did not drop a set during qualifying. It is the first time Zeppieri has qualified for a Grand Slam.

Bernabe Zapata Miralles booked his spot in the main draw for the second consecutive year, rallying past #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final qualifying round. The Spaniard recovered from a slow start against Nardi, who is 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, to advance after one hour and 59 minutes.

Portugal’s Nuno Borges will make his Roland Garros debut after he eliminated Hungarian Zsombor Piros 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 45 minutes. The World No. 126 is now 25-9 across all levels this season.

In his fifth qualifying attempt, Czech Zdenek Kolar finally reached the main draw in Paris with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Italian Franco Agamenone, while Australian Jason Kubler defeated Portugal’s Pedro Sousa 7-5, 6-2.

Austrian Sebastian Ofner, who lifted an ATP Challenger Tour title in Prague in April, moved past Italian Alessandro Giannessi 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 and Borna Gojo downed Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero 7-6(1), 6-1. Gojo lost in qualifying at all four Grand Slams in 2021, but produced a dominant performance to ensure he did not suffer more heartbreak.

Argentine Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna will make his Grand Slam debut after edging Dimitar Kuzmanov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Alex Molcan continued his perfect week at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon Thursday, dispatching Argentine Federico Coria 6-3, 6-2 to reach his second tour-level semi-final of the season.

The Slovakian has yet to drop a set in the south of France and he overpowered Coria with his brutal ball-striking to advance after 90 minutes. With his run, he has climbed to No. 41 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Molcan, who defeated former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and fifth seed Karen Khachanov in his opening two matches, enjoyed a run to the final on clay in Marrakech in April. The 24-year-old earned just seven tour-level wins in 2021, but has already recorded 13 victories in 2022.

The lefty will next face Alex de Minaur after Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki was forced to retire from their match due to a back problem at the start of the second set.

The Australian was leading 6-4 after 39 minutes when Watanuki retired due to injury. It is the second time de Minaur has advanced to the last four this year, having reached the semi-finals in Barcelona in April.

“It is a tough one. It was very tough, a lot of wind. Tough conditions,” de Minaur said. “I was happy I kept my cool and did what I needed to do and [I am] wishing a very speedy recovery to Yosuke, who I know very well from juniors.

“It will be another tough one [against Molcan]. He has been having his best year and I am ready for a battle tomorrow.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

In other action, French qualifier Manuel Guinard moved past American lucky loser Michael Mmoh 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in three hours and 19 minutes to reach his first tour-level quarter-final. The match resumed on Thursday at 5-5 in the third set and it was Ginard who came out firing to move to 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

The 26-year-old will return to court later to face #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune.

Ilya Ivashka won a pair of three-setters to advance to the quarter-finals at the Gonet Geneva Open, including an upset of third seed Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday. It’s the 28-year-old’s second quarter-final showing of the season, after he reached the same stage in Marseille in February.

Before he takes on Portugal’s Joao Sousa on Thursday, get to know more about Ivashka in ATPTour.com’s newest ‘Last Time’ Q&A, adapted from a conversation at Indian Wells in March.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

When was the last time you missed a flight?
I missed one time a flight, maybe five or six years ago. I came to a different terminal. It was the same destination city but a different airline. It was in Seoul. 

It was a completely different part of the airport. I came for boarding, last person, and they told me ‘No, wrong airline.’

When was the last time you lost something important? 
A few days ago I lost my wallet at Chipotle. It was there for two days. Suddenly I realised that I don’t have the wallet after two days. Then my wife called there, and it was still in Chipotle. So I was pretty lucky.

What is your typical Chipotle order?
Always the same. One bowl with a tortilla and everything that they have. I love Chipotle.

When was the last time being a famous tennis player helped you in everyday life?
Never happened. I’m not VIP (smiles). It never worked out like this.

When was the last time you strung your own tennis racquet?
Never.

When was the last time you cooked a meal for yourself?
Not lately. Sometimes I can do a breakfast. I can cook a little bit, but nothing special. Just basic things.

When was the last time you met a childhood idol?
Maybe Andy Murray. I always liked the way he played a lot, and in February we were practising in Rotterdam. I even posted a photo. I have one photo when I was 12 and he was 20, or something like that… and one now.

Long before Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah won the first of their 19 tour-level doubles titles as a team, the Colombians first met as kids playing in local tournaments in their home city of Cali.

“The first picture we have together is…” began Farah, trailing off in thought.

“From ’93 or ’92,” offered Cabal. They were about six years old at the time.

“We probably played singles the first time we met,” Farah continued. “He would beat me at the beginning. He was a bit older than me and maybe a better player at that point. I remember I beat him the first time after two years of playing.”

After quickly rising to the top of the local tennis scene, they began competing in national events in Colombia. The first time they played a competitive doubles match together was around 1997, when they were roughly 10 years of age.

“Obviously we’re from the same city, so we were representing our department,” Cabal recalled. “We played together and we won the tournament the first time, and we just kept it rolling.”

“The coach just made us play together,” added Farah. “We knew each other and then we kicked it off from there. Once we won the first one, we kept playing.”

At that stage, no one could have guessed the heights the pair would go on to reach — a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles in Rome, two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019, and joint ownership of the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings that same year.

“We were just too young,” Cabal said of their early days. “We were having fun and winning.”

Today, 25 years later, Cabal and Farah are still having fun and winning as a pair. They are the longest-tenured team on the ATP Tour, winning their first title in 2014. At age 36 and 35, respectively, they continue to grow as players, people and teammates.

“If you live life in the present, you keep evolving. It’s the way it is,” said Farah.

“In doubles, we’ve evolved in a lot of aspects. We’re better doubles players now than we were. Maybe we’re older. but that age gives you an edge in experience, knowing what you’re going through. Before maybe it was something new, and now you know exactly what you’re going through and how to deal with it.”

Cabal, who is now a father of two, further explained the benefits of the pair’s long-term partnership.

“You really know your partner. You really know he’s backing you up all the time,” he said. “You see a lot of teams splitting after one month, six months… They don’t work as a team, as a process.

“You really feel like you’ve got someone that’s got your back. That’s a very good thing. You play without pressure; you play free and work together for the same goals. It’s a process. It’s not blaming someone; it’s about setting goals and thinking about what you have to do to achieve them and believe in the process.”

The Colombians twice came within a few points of winning their 20th tour-level title this season, reaching the final at the ATP Masters 1000s in Monte Carlo and Madrid but falling just short in two Match Tie-breaks.

But with so much success already achieved, the duo are not primarily motivated by the prospect of adding to their trophy tally.

“We just take it day by day and try to improve daily on what you can improve, and you keep motivated that way,” explained Farah. “It’s not much about results. At the end, it’s your life and how you deal with your life.

“If you push yourself, if you want to keep finding that edge and keep improving yourself, your game, the mental aspects, how to compete better… that’s a motivation itself.

“If you do those things well, then you might win titles.”

The second Grand Slam event of the season will see the world’s best players compete at Roland Garros, with World No.1 Novak Djokovic, 13-time champion Rafael Nadal, Monte Carlo tiltist Stefanos Tsitsipas and Madrid champion Carlos Alcaraz in action.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament in the French capital:

When is Roland Garros?

Roland Garros 2022 will be held from 22 May – 5 June. The clay-court Grand Slam tournament, established in 1891, will take place at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The tournament director is Amelie Mauresmo.

Who is playing at Roland Garros 2022?

Roland Garros will feature Top 10 stars Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Tsitsipas, Nadal, Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev and Djokovic, who is the reigning champion.

When is the draw for Roland Garros?

The Roland Garros singles draw will be made on Thursday 19 May at 7:00 p.m.
The Roland Garros doubles draw will be made on Sunday 22 May at 12:00 p.m.

What is the schedule for Roland Garros?

* Qualifying: Monday, 16 May – Friday, 20 May at 10:00 a.m.
* Main Draw: Sunday, 22 May – Sunday, 5 June, start times TBC.
* Doubles Final: Saturday, 4 June, start time TBC.
* Singles Final: Sunday 5 June, start time TBC.
*View On Official Website

 What is the prize money and points for Roland Garros?

The prize money for Roland Garros is €43,600,000.

SINGLES
Winner: €2,200,000 / 2,000 points
Finalist: €1,100,000 / 1,200 points
Semi-finalist: €600,000 / 720 points
Quarter-finalist: €380,000 / 360 points
Round of 16: €220,000 / 180 points
Round of 32: €125,800 / 90 points
Round of 64: €86,000 / 45 points
Round of 128: €62,000 / 10 points

DOUBLES (€ per team)
Winner: €580,000 / 2,000 points
Finalist: €290,000/ 1,200 points
Semi-finalist: €146,000 / 720 points
Quarter-finalist: €79,500 / 360 points
Round of 16: €42,000 / 180 points
Round of 32: €25,000 / 90 points
Round of 64: €15,500 / 0 points

How can I watch Roland Garros?

TV Schedule

How can I follow Roland Garros?

Hashtag: #RolandGarros
Facebook: ROLAND-GARROS
Twitter: @rolandgarros
Instagram: rolandgarros

Who won the last edition of Roland Garros in 2021?

Novak Djokovic won the 2021 Roland Garros singles title with a 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match (Read & Watch). Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut lifted the doubles trophy in Paris with a 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 triumph against Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Roland Garros record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (13)
Most Titles, Doubles: Roy Emerson (6)
Oldest Champion: Andres Gimeno, 34, in 1972
Youngest Champion: Michael Chang, 17, in 1989
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Bjorn Borg in 1980, 1981, Ivan Lendl in 1986, 1987, Jim Courier in 1992, Gustavo Kuerten in 2001, Rafael Nadal in 2011, 2014, 2018, Novak Djokovic in 2016, 2021
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 66 Gustavo Kuerten in 1997
Last Home Champion: Yannick Noah in 1983
Most Match Wins: Rafael Nadal (105)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

The stars are arriving at Roland Garros, where Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among the players working hard to get ready for the second major of the season. 

Nadal practised on Court Philippe Chatrier Wednesday with fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. Tsitsipas also had time on the stadium court, where he greeted the 13-time champion.

.@RafaelNadal 🤝 @steftsitsipas #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/FK8XZCgNcT

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 18, 2022

Nadal will try to extend his record of Grand Slam titles and Roland Garros trophies to 22 and 14, respectively, over the coming fortnight. The lefty is 105-3 at the event, where last year he lost in the semi-finals against eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Tsitsipas is back at the site of his greatest heartbreak. In last year’s championship match on the Paris clay, the Greek led Djokovic 7-6(6), 6-2 before falling in five sets. That was Tsitsipas’ first major final.

Others firing up in Paris include two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and Italian Jannik Sinner. They will learn their path through the field on Thursday evening, when the singles draw will be made.

Luca Nardi and Chun-hsin Tseng, currently 10th and seventh respectively in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, both earned straight-sets wins Wednesday at Roland Garros qualifying to move within one victory of their debuts at the clay-court Grand Slam.

Italy’s Nardi, who knocked off qualifying No. 31 seed Andrej Martin in three sets on Tuesday, continued his run with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Great Britain’s Paul Jubb, the 2019 NCAA Divison I mens’ singles champion. The 18-year-old Nardi reached a career-high of No. 198 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings earlier this month behind a pair of ATP Challenger Tour titles on the season — the first of his young career.

He will face Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Thursday for a spot in the main draw next week in Paris. It would be Nardi’s Grand Slam debut. Zapata Miralles, the eighth seed in qualifying, has not dropped a set in reaching the final round, losing five games in two matches. He cruised past Portugal’s Gastao Elias, 6-1, 6-1, on Wednesday.

Chinese Taipei’s Tseng, seeded 11th in qualifying, got past countryman Jason Jung, 7-5, 6-4. The 20-year-old will face Cedrik-Marcel Stebe on Friday after the German battled past 17th seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 7-6(5), 6-3, on Wednesday.

The 2018 Roland Garros boy’s singles champion, Tseng made his major debut in January as a wild card at the Australian Open, where he fell in three sets to Germany’s Oscar Otte. Tseng currently sits at a career-high of No. 110 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after first breaking into the Top 200 last December.

The two highest-seeded players in action Wednesday in qualifying were both eliminated in the second round. Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco dropped a 2-6, 6-3, 3-6 decision against Alexander Ritschard of Switzerland, who is seeking his tour-level main-draw debut in Paris. Ritschard will face Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina in the final round of qualifying on Friday.

Sixth seed Radu Albot came up on the wrong side of one of the matches of the day, with Australia’s Jason Kubler pulling off the upset, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(10-4). Kubler, who also won a three-setter in the opening round, will face Pedro Sousa of Portugal on Thursday for a main-draw spot.

Roland Garros is the only major in which the former junior World No. 1 has not competed in the main draw. Kubler reached a career-high of No. 91 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2018 after reaching the second round of the US Open earlier that year.

Casper Ruud made a quickfire start to his title defence at the Gonet Geneva Open on Wednesday as the World No. 8 eased to a 6-3, 6-1 second-round victory over Benoit Paire.

The Norwegian had endured a moderate European clay season by his standards prior to last week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, but Ruud appeared back to his best in his semi-final run in Rome. He brought that form to the Geneva clay, bludgeoning the ball off both wings to overwhelm his opponent at the ATP 250 event.

A bright start from Paire saw the Frenchman break in the third game of the match, but that was as good as it got for the 33-year-old at the Tennis Club de Geneve. Ruud’s accuracy and baseline power helped the World No. 8 reclaim the break immediately as Paire struggled for consistency, and four further breaks of the Frenchman’s serve followed as Ruud raced to a 55-minute victory.

“Everything went my way a little bit,” said Ruud after improving his ATP Head2Head series lead over Paire to 4-0. “I was broken at the beginning, so it was not the best start but then I found my game a little bit better and got some free points here and there.

“It probably wasn’t his best serving performance, so that helped me obviously and I was able to get my game going well.”

Although the solid nature of Ruud’s game was key to his win, the Norwegian also produced moments of inspiration in a complete performance. An improvised volley return while running backwards to retrieve a Paire lob was a particular highlight, as the evening crowd in Geneva was treated to a series of entertaining exchanges between the two players.

Ruud is seeking an eighth tour-level title in Geneva, where his quarter-final opponent will be Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Australian earlier recovered from a difficult start to overcome Federico Delbonis, 1-6, 7-5, 7-5.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Fourth seed Reilly Opelka earlier notched his first win of the European clay season with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell.

Opelka has been unable to build on his maiden tour-level clay-court title, claimed on home soil in Houston in April, with the American losing opening matches in Munich, Madrid and Rome since that triumph. The 24-year-old put his huge serve to good use in his victory over O’Connell, however, firing 13 aces and dropping just five points behind his first delivery in an 89-minute win.

Opelka’s quarter-final opponent will be Tallon Griekspoor, after the Dutchman brushed past Swiss qualifier Johan Nikles, 6-3, 7-5.

Ilya Ivashka earned his first victory over a Top 20 opponent in 2022 at the fifth attempt with an impressive 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 win over third seed Denis Shapovalov. Ivashka bounced back from losing the second-set tie-break to surge to a 4-1 lead in the deciding set against the World No. 15, keeping his composure to complete a two-hour, 17-minute win. The triumph takes the 2021 Winston-Salem champion to his second tour-level quarter-final of the year.

His opponent there will be Joao Sousa, who enjoyed a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 25-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili. Sousa had not been past the second round in Geneva since reaching the championship match in 2015, but he broke fifth-seeded Basilashvili’s serve three times in an 83-minute win to improve his ATP Head2Head series lead over the Georgian to 2-0.