It might just be the first time that Casper Ruud has faced someone younger than him in professional tennis. The young Norwegian, 18, is set to take on Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime, 16, in the quarter-finals of the Caltanissetta Challenger.
This match could well be historic as both Ruud and Aliassime are highly touted youngsters.
Ruud comes from a tennis family as his father Christian Ruud was a former Top 100 ranked player. The teenager is well known for his exploits on clay. He won the first Challenger event he entered, defeating Taro Daniel in straight sets at the Seville Challenger last year. In 2017 he reached the semi-finals of the Rio Open, defeating the likes of Rogerio Dutra Silva, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Thiago Monteiro. Other strong performances have seen him inch close to entering the Top 100 for the first time. Ruud holds a singles ranking of No.112.
Despite the good results, his recent attempt to qualify for Roland Garros failed when he lost to the in-form Maxime Janvier. He has bounced back strongly so far this week. Ruud defeated Lorenzo Giustino 6-4, 6-0 in the first round, and Jan Satral earned just one more game in the second.
Auger Aliassime is a name that is likely to be unfamiliar to many. The Canadian is famous for being the youngest person ever to qualify for a ATP Challenger event. He had not yet turned 15 when he qualified for the Drummondville Challenger in 2015. Further accolades came when he beat Darian King (currently No.113) before turning 16. This year, despite playing sparingly, he reached the semi-finals in Drummondville. Auger Aliassime holds a current ranking of No.336 though should break the Top 300 even if he loses.
His ranking should move that high regardless because he has already reached the quarter-finals this week. Impressive wins against Nicolas Jarry and Laurynas Grigelis (both in tough three-set battles) show that even at 16 he is ready to compete at Challenger level. Auger Aliassime has a good record on clay. He was the runner-up at in the Boy’s Singles at Roland Garros in 2016.
