WATCH: Ghosts of Roger Federer's incredible smash return against Andy Roddick surface at French Open as Taylor Fritz recreates winner vs Casper Ruud

Taylor Fritz hit an incredible winner against Casper Ruud, which was reminiscent of Roger Federer's smash return against Andy Roddick at the 2002 Basel Open. The American and the Norwegian battled for a place in the quarterfinals with Ruud winning the duel.

The incident took place during the third set. Ruud won the hard-fought first set 7-6, but Fritz bounced back to take the second 6-4. The match was at a standstill, 1-1 in the third when it occurred.

It had an uncanny resemblance to Roger Federer's infamous smash return to Andy Roddick at the 2002 Basel Open. On Roddick's serve, the duo exchanged a few shots that eventually placed the American in a favorable position to hit an overhead smash.

Roddick did exactly that, and it seemed that the point was over. However, out of nowhere, the Swiss ran towards the ball and hit an overhead smash return from far behind the baseline to win the point. This left Roddick stunned, who threw his racket towards Federer in a fun way to show his acknowledgement.

Watch the video below:

Taylor Fritz recreated this iconic shot against Casper Ruud. During Ruud's serve in the third set, the duo exchanged a few shots following which the Norwegian hit a powerful forehand at the center which, though Fritz managed to return, left him in a vulnerable position.

Ruud hit an overhead volley which was returned by the American in the same fashion as the aforementioned incident, a smash return at the same spot, leaving the Norwegian and the crowd stunned.

Fritz celebrated the point by raising his arms in the air, asking the crowd to shower more love amid an already thunderous applause.

Watch the video below:

Casper Ruud will meet Novak Djokovic in French Open QF

Casper Ruuds ousts Taylor Fritz

Casper Ruud will play the top seed and the defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, who is also looking to win an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. The Norwegian defeated Taylor Fritz 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in three hours and 31 minutes.

The Serb had a great start to his campaign in Paris, winning his first two matches in straight sets. However, the next two matches, which came against Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo, had Djokovic playing two five-setters that went over four hours but eventually came through.

Djokovic holds a significant lead 5-1 head-to-head lead over Casper Ruud. However, the Norwegian won their most recent meeting in the semifinals of the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.