Casper Ruud dug deep to book his place in the quarter-finals at the Swiss Open Gstaad with a straight-sets win over Dominic Stricker.
The home hope pushed Ruud all the way, but the top seed earned a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) win in one hour and 46 minutes.
There was little to split the pair at the start, though Stricker drew first blood with a break in the seventh game, though Ruud, playing in his first match since the French Open, instantly responded with a break of his own.
Stricker defended the first set point he faced but could not build on that to force a tie-break as Ruud took the lead.
They remained evenly matched in the second set, with neither player able to break as Stricker served to love to force the tie-break.
But Ruud found his edge when it mattered; after going 6-4 down, he defended two set points as he won the last four points in a row to clinch a spot in the last eight.
He will face Juan Manuel Cerundolo or David Goffin in the quarter-finals.
Data Debrief: Refinding his groove
Ruud has not been in action since his second-round defeat to Nuno Borges at Roland-Garros, though he did not have things all his own way on his return.
The Norwegian was strong on serve, hitting nine aces, and he finished with a first-serve percentage of 62%. He also won 37/46 points on first serve (80%).
Having lifted back-to-back titles in Gstaad in 2021 and 2022, Ruud is looking to mark his return to the ATP Tour with a third title.
