Casper Ruud is still alive in his hunt for a maiden Grand Slam title.
The Norwegian defeated Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in his opening match, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
He then beat Jaume Munar in the second round of the Australian Open, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
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Advancing to the last 16, Ruud took down a former Grand Slam champion in four sets.
Casper Ruud knocks out former US Open champion Marin Cilic
The world number 13 defeated Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
The 2014 US Open champion, now 37, played well on Margaret Court Arena and threatened to push Ruud all the way to a deciding set.
Winning the third set 6-3, Cilic broke late in the fourth to move within touching distance of a decider.
Unfortunately for Cilic, Ruud broke straight back, held serve, and broke again to escape with a four-set win over the former world number three.
The Croat may have failed in his bid to reach the last 16, but still reminded fans what he’s capable of.
Cilic is now up to 61st in the Live Rankings, and will certainly be worth keeping an eye on when Grand Slam tennis returns at the French Open.
‘He’s had an incredible career’ – Casper Ruud on Marin Cilic
During his post-match interview, Ruud was full of praise for Cilic.
“Marin [Cilic] is a tremendous player, and still at age 37, or 38, I mean, he rips the ball, plays so well, it’s amazing to see,” he said.
“He’s had an incredible career, he’s been a finalist here, won the US Open, a finalist in Wimbledon, and semis in Roland Garros, he’s almost run all the Grand Slams.
Marin Cilic’s Grand Slam record
| Grand Slam | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | F – 2018 | 37-16 | 70% |
| French Open | SF – 2022 | 31-17 | 65% |
| Wimbledon | F – 2017 | 34-14 | 71% |
| US Open | W – 2014 | 41-14 | 75% |
“There are always really tough matches against him, but super happy not to be out there in the fifth at this point, and happy to be talking to you instead.”
The Norwegian commented on the end of the fourth set, where he broke Cilic when it mattered most.
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“I didn’t have many break chances since the second set, so I was kind of frustrated with not even getting any chances to break him, not even being able to play in his service games,” said Ruud.
“I was thinking, fifth, here we go! Time to get ready for a tough fifth deciding set, but suddenly a few mistakes came out of his racket, and I was there to put one extra ball in. Luckily, I had a few points that went my way, and that’s the way tennis is.”
Ruud was then told he’d just broken his record for aces hit in a match, serving 25 against Cilic.
“Becoming a serve bot! It’s not typical that I get 25 free points in a match with my serve, so happy that my shoulder is working, and let’s hopefully keep it going.
Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic – Match stats
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve | Break points |
| Casper Ruud | 25 | 4 | 71% | 78% | 47% | 4/7 |
| Marin Cilic | 18 | 6 | 53% | 78% | 60% | 2/10 |
“Next match I’m playing someone [Ben Shelton] who, if he serves 25 aces, he is having a bad serving day! So it’s going to be really tough.”
He also took a moment to send a message to his partner, who is expected to give birth soon.
“I hope I didn’t stress her too much tonight, even though I was pretty stressed myself. I can’t really control how the matches go, so hopefully she stays in there, and in a few days I’ll get to see her,” said Ruud.
“Whenever I’m done here or if I get a call, I’m going to be on the way back home.
“I have to say a huge thank you to Maria, she’s back home, patient, and letting me be here, so if she’s watching, I just want to let her know that I’ll be home soon.”
Ruud has said that he will withdraw from the tournament if Maria goes into labour before the end of the Australian Open.
He will play his fourth-round match against Ben Shelton on Monday, January 26.
Mats Wilander says Ben Shelton will be a ‘tough, tough’ match for Casper Ruud
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander previewed Ruud’s last-16 clash with Shelton.
“I think he was tested enough tonight to use it to his advantage against Ben Shelton,” he said.
“It’s going to be a similar match against Ben Shelton, a lot of serving going on, a lot of quick points. Ben Shelton has probably the best serve in the world, plus, he’s left-handed, so very tricky.
“Ben is going to serve out to Casper’s backhand quite a lot, so this is a tough match.
Casper Ruud and Ben Shelton’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 Mexican Open – QF | Casper Ruud | Ben Shelton | 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2023 Barcelona Open – 2R | Casper Ruud | Ben Shelton | 6-2, 7-6 |
| 2022 Cincinnati Open – 2R | Ben Shelton | Casper Ruud | 6-3, 6-3 |
“Ben Shelton has played great in this tournament, head-to-head, 2-1 to Casper, it’s a tough, tough match for Casper Ruud.”
Only time will tell if Ruud can pick up a third win over Shelton in the fourth round.
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