Ruud gets even with Tsitsipas and lifts his most important title in Barcelona | ATP Tour

Barcelona

Ruud gets even with Tsitsipas and lifts his most important title in Barcelona

The Norwegian won his first ATP500 trophy

April 21, 2024

By ATPTour.com/es Staff

Casper Ruud smiles non-stop. His week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell will be remembered as a very special one in his career: this Sunday he not only managed to avenge the defeat against Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo final last week, he also won his 11th title and the first of his career above ATP250 level.

Ruud won by a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 after one hour and 29 minutes of play, breaking a streak of five consecutive defeats in finals and thus taking the trophy for the first time since Estoril in April of last year.

“Just wanting it a little more than last week,” Ruud said when asked what he had done against Tsitsipas in Barcelona compared to Monte Carlo. “In the Monte Carlo final I was always on the wrong foot, too far behind, and he had too much time to control the match.”

“It was a bit of a difficult start, they broke me right away,” Ruud reflected. “It wasn’t the best start, but I managed to settle in and pushed him back. I held onto him and broke him at the end of the first, which was fantastic.”

“It’s been a very long two weeks for both of us. It’s obvious that at some point the fatigue is going to take its toll. I think we were both in shape to play today, it’s not about that, but winning the first set was huge probably for anyone.” of the two”.

Until today, the Norwegian had won his 10 previous titles in ATP 250 events and this time he was able to take advantage of his chances, with his usual repertoire: with solidity, looking for his best shots from the back of the court and putting pressure on Tsitsipas who accumulated more errors than errors.

Meanwhile, Ruud continues to be the ATP Tour leader in wins (29) and finishes (5) this season and is the fifth foreign champion in the Spanish tournament, after Marat Safin (2000), Gastón Gaudio (2002), Kei Nishikori ( 2014, 2015) and Dominic Thiem (2019).

Did you know…?
Ruud became just the 4th player to win a title without dropping a set this season and is the first Scandinavian to win the Barcelona title since Sweden’s Kent Carlsson in 1988.