“He was trying to reach his first semi-final and I was hungry to get back into the semi-final again. Luckily it panned out well for me,” Ruud said.
The 24-year-old claimed his most recent meeting against Zverev, in Miami in three sets last year.
Ruud's resilience
The ability to thrive in the best-of-five format set Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer apart from some incredibly talented players over the past two decades.
Also a finalist at the US Open last summer, Ruud is producing his best in the elongated format as well.
After an outstanding 2022, the Norwegian struggled to find his rhythm in the infancy of this season, though he did win a title on clay in Estoril in April.
Perseverance is an important trait. Ruud ran into some form in Rome recently and has found peak form again at Roland-Garros, as evidenced in his toughness against Rune.
With the crowd yearning for a long match on Wednesday, they rallied behind Rune as he attempted to come back from a steep 1-6, 2-6 deficit. Ruud was unfazed though when Rune grabbed the third set, biding his time and striking at the right moment in the fourth to secure the victory.