Ruud into Korea Open quarters

SEOUL: World number two Casper Ruud advanced to the quarter-finals in Seoul on Thursday after battling through a tight round-of-16 game with 111th-ranked Nicolas Jarry.

Top seed Ruud got off to a fast start against Jarry -- who entered the Korea Open through the qualifiers -- quickly winning the first set 6-2. But Jarry overpowered Ruud to win the second set 6-3, before Ruud bounced back to take the third set 6-3 and win the match.

The match lasted an hour and 43 minutes. The 23-year-old Norwegian will face Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Ruud rose to world number two after reaching the final of the US Open earlier this month. The Korea Open is the first ATP tournament he has played since then, having competed in the Laver Cup in London last week.

Second seed Cameron Norrie also advanced to the quarter-finals on Thursday, while third seed Taylor Fritz withdrew due to illness.