French Open: Mats Wilander fancies Casper Ruud and Holger Rune after Daniil Medvedev exit 'opens up' draw

ByAlasdair Mackenzie

Updated 31/05/2023 at 11:34 GMT

Daniil Medvedev's astonishing first-round exit from the French Open has shaken up the bottom half of the draw. The second seed bowed out early to world No. 172 Thiago Seyboth Wild to provide a big chance for lesser-fancied players to reach the final, and Eurosport expert Mats Wilander believes Holger Rune, Casper Ruud and Jannik Sinner will be eyeing a big opportunity to go far in Paris.

Mats Wilander believes Casper Ruud and Holger Rune could benefit from the French Open draw opening up following Daniil Medvedev’s shock exit, but he warned: “Literally anyone could go through”.

Second seed Medvedev was one of the favourites to take the men’s singles title at Roland-Garros this year but suffered a stunning first-round defeat to world No. 172 Thiago Seyboth Wild on Tuesday.

The Italian Open champion’s elimination has opened the door to other contenders in the bottom half of the draw, according to Eurosport pundit Wilander, with heavyweights Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both in the other section.

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“It opens it up for Holger Rune and Casper Ruud,” Wilander said, as part of Eurosport’s exclusive French Open coverage.

“I’m obviously excited being Scandinavian, it’s important for our region to have these guys get to the later rounds. With Daniil Medvedev out, there’s a lot of players that can get to the semi-finals and finals on that side.

“On the other side, with Alcaraz and Novak, you’d assume they’d get to the semis.

Medvedev v Seyboth Wild - French Open highlights

“But it goes to show, when Medvedev goes out against a guy who’s never played here before, just because he’s played 46 matches this year, winning 36 on the Challenger Tour, that means the depth in the men’s game is unbelievable. Literally anyone could go through.”

Norwegian Ruud, last year's runner-up, is the fourth seed in Paris and therefore the top-ranked player left in the bottom half.

“I think we put a lot of expectation and pressure on [Ruud] after he made the final here and at the US Open, but if you look at his results going into the French Open last year, it’s pretty similar to what it is this year,” Wilander said.

• Ruud defeats Ymer to begin campaign in first round at Roland-Garros
• Alcaraz 'greatest I've ever seen at 20', says McEnroe, labels rival Rune 'the real deal'

Sixth seed Rune travelled to Paris in good form, after reaching finals in Madrid and Monte Carlo and winning an ATP 250 event in Munich during the clay-court swing.

“There’s no reason why he can’t keep improving and get there,” Wilander said of the Dane.

“With Rune, he’s in-form, played great with a couple of ATP 1000 finals and then he won in Munich.

“He knows how to win, he knows how to play five sets at 20 years old. There’s absolutely no reason to not expect one of them to not get through to the final. “

Wilander believes other contenders in the bottom half of the draw include eighth seed Jannik Sinner and American duo Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, the ninth and 12th seeds respectively.

“Sinner, definitely, being Italian and having grown up on clay. We tend to think he’s stalled a little in his development only because Alcaraz won the US Open last year,” said Wilander.

“Let’s not forget that Sinner had a match point against Alcaraz and then beat him in Miami. Sinner is obviously one of the top three or four who could make the final.

“Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz can cause upsets. You still have a hard time thinking that one of them can get through on clay, but again, the tennis world is full of surprises.

“They have what it takes. But do they believe in their clay court form, just like Medvedev apparently did not?”

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