As the victor of the Green Group, Casper Ruud maintained his incredible season by defeating Taylor Fritz to guarantee his qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals semifinals.
Follow Us
After defeating Taylor Fritz in three sets, Casper Ruud advanced to the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. Ruud triumphed 6-3 4-6 7-6(6) to win the Green Group and record his 50th victory of the year. Against Saturday, he will take on the Red Group’s runner-up, while on Thursday, Fritz will square up against Felix Auger-Aliassime in a winner-takes-all match. Rafael Nadal was eliminated from the competition after two straight losses thanks to Ruud’s victory, and Carlos Alcaraz has now been named the youngest-ever year-end No. 1 player.
“Only a couple of points decide a match like this and fortunately they went my way at the end,” said Ruud, who made the finals of the French Open and US Open this year. “I was so happy to see that last forehand go long and book my ticket for the semi-finals.” After some errant shots from Fritz in the second game, Ruud, who defeated Auger-Aliassime in his opening match, got off to an incredible start. For a love hold and a 3-0 advantage, Ruud delivered a strong backhand down the line.
The fourth-ranked player in the world kept up his strong serving and finished the set with a strong hold. At the beginning of the second set, Fritz ramped up his game and turned down two break points in a seven-minute game. With subsequent love holds, Ruud recovered, and Fritz did the same on either side of him. However, the American made a breakthrough when it mattered most, reaching deuce in the tenth game of the set and breaking when Ruud botched a forehand. In the third set, Ruud had the first chance to break, but Fritz prevented it with an incredible diving volley.
Read More – Felix vs Nadal: Twitter reacts as Felix beats Nadal in ATP Finals 2022
In the fourth game, Fritz also displayed his quickness and skill towards the net to earn a tremendous point. Before a tie-break, which Ruud quickly took control of as he moved 5-1 ahead, four consecutive love holds were made.Fritz subsequently made a mistake on his serve and fell behind 0-30. Ruud failed to capitalise, skewing a forehand wide and then watched a smash bounce over his head. Fritz was able to save two match points, but Ruud earned a third one following a fortunate net cord and used it to seal the victory. On Wednesday, Stefanos Tsitsipas plays Daniil Medvedev, while Novak Djokovic takes on Andrey Rublev.
