If you are a tennis fan, you may know that there are two men in the top 10 who can easily be confused because of their similar last names. I'm talking about Holger Rune and Casper Ruud.
Have no fear, I'm here to help. Here is a primer for tennis fans on the difference between Rune and Ruud.
Holger Rune is from Denmark. Casper Ruud is from Norway.
Holger Rune is ranked No. 7 in the world rankings. Casper Ruud is No. 9 in the world rankings.
Holger Rune is 20 years old and 6-foot-2. Casper Ruud is 25 and 6 feet.
Holger Rune has made three Grand Slam quarterfinals but never won. Casper Ruud has made three Grand Slam finals but never won.
Rune and Ruud are still alive in the BNP Paribas Open, having reached the fourth round, matching the deepest either has ever gone at this event.
Rune plays Taylor Fritz on Wednesday. Ruud plays Gael Monfils on Wednesday. They could meet each other in a Rune-Ruud collision in the semifinals.
Something you might now know about Rune: His last name is pronounced with two syllables, like RU-nuh. Basically, it rhymes with tuna and not dune.
Something you might not know about Ruud: His father Christian was a former pro tennis player and actually played in Indian Wells in 1997, losing to American wild-card Johnathan Stark in the first round.
So there you have it. You always wanted to be the smartest person at your tennis get together and now that you know your Holger from your Casper and your Rune from your Ruud you can be. You're welcome.
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at .
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Here's how to tell Holger Rune and Casper Ruud apart
