World number eight Casper Ruud has advanced to the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Nordic Open. On Thursday, world number seven Andrey Rublev and world number ten Grigor Dimitrov will have the chance to join the Norwegian.

Top-seed Andrey Rublev faces Leo Borg’s conqueror, Alexandre Müller, in the first evening match on center court. Rublev has a score to settle with the 27-year-old from the western suburbs of Paris, as Müller previously won a three-set battle against him in the third round of the Master’s tournament in Rome earlier this year.

Third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov will also face French opposition in 27-year-old Quentin Halys. Like Rublev, Dimitrov is vying for a spot in the prestigious ATP Finals in Turin, which the Bulgarian surprisingly won in 2017. The skilled Halys made a strong impression in the first round against India’s top player, Sumit Nagal, allowing Nagal only four games.

Two further singles matches will take place on Thursday. Nicolas Jarry hopes to replicate his impressive performance against Elias Ymer when he faces Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic. Another standout in the first round was Stan Wawrinka, who defeated the sixth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima. If Wawrinka follows up that success with a win against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, he will reach his first quarterfinal of the year at the age of 39.

Special Facts - Ruud the First Norwegian To Win a Match

Casper Ruud won against Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open. This marks the first time ever that a Norwegian has won a singles match in the main draw in Stockholm. Below is a list of all previous appearances by Norwegian players in this prestigious ATP tournament:

1996: Christian Ruud, lost to Jason Stoltenberg

1997: Christian Ruud, lost to Thomas Muster 

2000: Christian Ruud, lost to Magnus Norman

2003: Jan Frode Andersen, lost to Joachim Johansson

2004: Jan Frode Andersen, lost to Raemon Sluiter 

2019: Casper Ruud, lost to Filip Krajinovic 

2021: Viktor Durasovic, lost to Andy Murray