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NEW YORK — Casper Ruud continued his run at the US Open and his bid to become the first No. 1-ranked player out of Norway, posting a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-2 victory over Corentin Moutet on Sunday.
Ruud, a 23-year-old from Oslo, has reached the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
Seeded No. 5 in New York, Ruud, already the first Norwegian man to appear in the third and fourth rounds at the Open, must reach the championship final for at least the opportunity to become the top-ranked player in men’s tennis.
With a subdued celebration that featured a fist pump and a smile on his way to the net for the postmatch handshake, Ruud afterward took off his hat, walked back onto the court and applauded the New York crowd with waves and claps.
Moutet dropped to 0-8 lifetime against top-10 opponents, but his week at Flushing Meadows was already a success. He became the first lucky loser (a player who fails to make it out of qualifying but gets into the main draw when someone withdraws) to reach the fourth round.
Ruud, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and current No. 1 Daniil Medvedev are the only players who can end the tournament as the world’s top-ranked player. Rudd is ranked No. 7 in the world.
Ruud, who played for the first time in Arthur Ashe Stadium, will face Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals.
Berrettini advanced earlier in the day with a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Davidovich Fokina had little left in the fifth set when he appeared to suffer an injury with the match tied 2-2. He went down in a heap after a hard split returning a ball along the baseline. He was on his knees and pounded the ground, grimacing as he eventually made his way to the bench. A trainer rubbed ice on Davidovich Fokina’s left knee and leg during every break the rest of the way.
Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the fifth straight time. He dropped out of Wimbledon in June because he tested positive for COVID-19.
Berrettini labored through most of the match but used 18 aces and six winning break points to advance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.