The world number 12, out »inspired by his neurosurgeon father, a 23 -year -old Belgian produced a huge surprise at the US Open
Article by David Istrate – published on Thursday, August 28, 2025, 09:36 / Updated Thursday, August 28, 2025 09:45
Raphael Collignon (23 years old, 107 ATP) has achieved one of the biggest surprises of the current US Open edition. The Belgian defeated in 5 sets, score 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, on Casper Ruud (26 years, 12 ATP), the finalist of 2022.
In the first round at Flushing Meadows, Casper Ruud had succeeded in 3 sets in front of Austrian Sebastian ofner (29 years, 140 ATP), at the end of a match that lasted an hour and 56 minutes.
Therefore, the Norwegian appeared to be in good shape and a high morale before confrontation with Raphael Collignon, A 23-year-old player who had achieved the first success on the main panel of a Grand Slam tournament only monthswhen he defeated Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan (29 years, 131 ATP).
Casper Ruud, finalist in 2022, eliminated in the second round of the world number 107
However, the Belgian managed to shock from the inaugural set, won by 6-4 in 43 minutes. Ruud controlled the next two sets he awarded with the same score, 6-3, and seemed to have found the pace needed to advance in the 3rd round.
However, with surgical precision, Collignon struck again, prevailed in the 4th set and then, decisively, ended the surprise, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. Therefore, the world number 107 qualified in round 3, where he will give Czech Jiri Lehecka (23 years, 21 ATP).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upgca5jzpac
Raphael Collignon has an interesting life story. He was born in Rochester, Minnesota, but when he was only a year old, his family moved to Belgium. “Raph” started playing tennis at 4, hitting the wall ball and attracting his father's attention.
He noticed her talent and, at the age of 7, Colongnon began to train in the Belgian tennis federation. He is currently trained by Steve Darcis and, In the spring of this year he climbed to 81st place.
Raphael's father Collignon is a neurosurgeon: “I try to be like him in tennis, to work hard”
Frederic, Raphael's father, is a neurosurgeon and is a great inspiration for him. “It's an inspiration to me since I was a kid. I saw him working so hard. I try to be like him in tennis, to work hard, to be modest and to give everything I can on the field. It's a very complicated job that of neurosurgeon“, Said Colignon, in an interview for the ATP website.
He explained that when he has difficulty with stress in the matches he asks his father: “You sometimes work in the head [cuiva]make a wrong move and you can kill the person. How do you feel in an operation? ”.
Frederic replies that he has already done this for 25, 30 and that he is like a machine.
“But when he plays tennis matches, he almost trembles. It is very funny to see him playing and stressing, missing the ball, making mistakes, and the next day he works in someone's head and he is frightened“Raphael Collignon revealed.
The Lehecka duel will take place on Friday, August 29th. In the event of a success, Colignon will meet either American Ben Shelton (22 years old, 6 ATP) or French Adrian Mannarino (37 years, 77 ATP).
