Earlier this year, Ruud qualified and picked up his maiden Grand Slam win at the Australian Open before falling to Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in the second round.
“It’s been two good matches, four good sets, I haven’t dropped one yet. It was a big test today, especially the last one,” Ruud told RolandGarros.com. “I felt it was almost over when I had 4-1 and a double break. But he fought back and played some good points but I also stepped up my level at the end.”
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Ruud will next meet Frenchman Alexandre Muller, who beat #NextGenATP Aussie Akira Santillan 6-1, 3-6, 6-0. Spain's Jaume Munar ended the run of 17-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in a #NextGenATP showdown 6-3, 6-3. Munar will face #NextGenATP Korean Duckhee Lee for a spot in the main draw. Lee swept Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-4.
Aussie Bernard Tomic beat #NextGenATP Brit Jay Clarke 6-3, 6-1, but Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis fell to Estonia's Jurgen Zopp 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-2. Tomic will next face 23-year-old Goncalo Oliveira of Portugal. Zopp will play seventh seed Denis Kudla of the U.S., who beat 19-year-old Frenchman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 6-2, 6-1.