The Norwegian defeated his unpredictable opponent 6-2, 6-4 to set up a championship match against Novak Djokovic on Saturday in Turin.
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The expert on hard courts, Casper Ruud? In 2022, the 23-year-old has advanced to four notable finals, three of which have taken place outside of his original comfort zone of clay. At the indoor hard court Nitto ATP Finals, Ruud made his most recent breakthrough. Andrey Rublev was never linked on Saturday as he remained plugged in. Ruud ended up winning easily, 6-2, 6-4, securing a Top 3 place in the year-end rankings. “I feel comfortable in my serve. I get a lot of free points when I’m serving well when you don’t get on clay, for instance. There are many things that are pros and cons on both surfaces,” Ruud said in his press conference.
“Surprisingly, I’ve been feeling the ball rather well lately. I adore balls. I’ve always had a terrific feel for Dunlop ATP balls. The court moves quickly.” On Sunday, Ruud can become the world No. 2 for the year, but it will be a challenge to reverse the results of the three notable finals’ defeats—at Miami, Roland Garros, and the US Open. In his own attempt to match Roger Federer’s tournament record with a sixth champion’s trophy, Novak Djokovic, who Ruud has yet to defeat in a set in three prior encounters, is waiting.
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In a game he had initially led 40-15, Rublev missed a backhand to drop service at 2-3, and he expressed disappointment as he sat for the changeover. Ruud eventually solidified his failure at love as a result of numerous misfires and gestures that came after. Ruud maintained composure by making few mistakes as the No. 6 seed continued to self-destruct. “I began to rush a little bit after losing my serve. I tried to play fast and aggressive. I begin to miss things more and more “Rublev stated.
Rublev led 40-30 at 2-4, but two more self-inflicted forehand errors resulted in an ad-out. Soon, Ruud had nine games in a row under control as he built a set and 4-0 lead, winning 31 of the 38 points. When Rublev held in set two to put his name on the scoreboard, the spectators in Pala Alpitour sought to get him to start going. When the two-time major finalist failed to serve it out at 5-2, he broke Ruud for the first time. Three games later, the Norwegian defeated Rublev for the second year in a row with impenetrable serving as he crossed the finish line.
