Casper Ruud will play his third quarter-final of the clay swing against Jannik Sinner at this year’s Italian Open.
Ruud beat Spaniard Jaume Munar in the Round of 16 to continue his hot run of form, advancing to the last eight in Rome for the fourth time in his career.
The Norwegian has found form recently on his preferred surface and is on a nine-match winning streak, dating back to the beginning of the Madrid Open, where Ruud emerged victorious.
His next opponent at the Italian Open, Sinner, currently leads their head-to-head 3-0; all three victories coming on hard court.
With several consecutive wins and a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title under his belt within the last month, Ruud appears to be playing the best tennis of his career, which he gave his verdict on after beating Munar.
Casper Ruud says he ‘could be’ playing the best tennis of his career at the Italian Open
When asked on the Tennis Channel if he’s playing the best tennis of his life, Ruud said: “I could be. I would have told you three weeks ago before Madrid that I am yet to play the best tennis of my career.”
“I kind of say the same right now. Of course Madrid happened and it was an amazing tournament for me, but I still feel like there’s more to bring, like there’s more to develop and become a better player.”
“But definitely it’s good stacking up some wins on the clay. It’s a big tournament. It’s not every day you play quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 tournament.”
“Since Roland Garros last year I had a pretty rough stretch of tournaments with not many wins, so it’s a really important period of the season for me and I hope I can push through these last couple days here in Rome.”
Casper Ruud’s recent hot run of form during the clay swing
Ruud, a clay court specialist, has had a resurgence in April and May and looks to be building momentum ahead of Roland Garros.
Prior to the beginning of the clay swing, Ruud had only made it to one quarter-final in 2025, which came at the Dallas Open, where he ultimately advanced to the final.
Despite the 26-year-old having difficult campaigns at both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, he has enjoyed a much-needed purple patch on the dirt recently.
He won the Madrid Open, dropping just one set throughout the tournament, which came in the final, where Ruud beat Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
Ruud clinched victories against two top-ten seeded players in the Spanish capital, with wins against Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.
After impressive wins at the Italian Open against Alexander Bublik, Matteo Berrettini, and Munar, Ruud will look to continue his pursuit of a second Masters 1000 title against Sinner.
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