|
World number five Ruud had rallied to beat
Zhang in four sets on the red clay of Roland Garros in June but
the Norwegian found the 26-year-old's forehand too hot to handle
in New York, suffering a 6-4 5-7 6-2 0-6 6-2 second-round loss.
"He plays really aggressive," Ruud told reporters. "I think
today he played better forehand than in Roland Garros, was more
mistakes from the forehand last time. That was my gameplan, try
to play heavy to his forehand and make him run on the forehand.
"He was just slapping winners crosscourt, down the line, coming
to the net. Made it really uncomfortable for me, played fast.
Credit to him. I think he played really good, honestly."
Ruud said Zhang was the better player in the match's key
moments.
"That was different from Paris. In Paris I was the one who
stepped up when I had to. It's a different surface, of course,"
he added.
"He has a great serve, beautiful backhand and forehand also.
When it's on, it's on and really dangerous. I was impressed in a
way how he played. He's going to be a threat for many years."
Ruud was runner-up at Roland Garros for a second straight year
but exited the other three Grand Slams in the second round. His
next goal will be to seal a place in the season-ending ATP
Finals in November.
"It's going to be a hectic race for that," he added. "I hope I
can be one of the contenders to get there in the end."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
