World No. 15 Casper Ruud advances to his third Masters 1000 final, his first in Madrid, by toppling 20th seed Francisco Cerundolo in a rollercoaster of a semifinal contest on Friday at the Caja Magica.
Former world number two Casper Ruud achieves the 25th tour-level final of his career, his first at the Mutua Madrid Open with a 6-4, 7-5 win over 20th seed Francisco Cerundolo just shy of two hours under the closed roof of the Manolo Santana Stadium.
Friday’s first semifinal soon turned into a rollercoaster of a match as 14th seed Ruud and world No. 21 Cerundolo faced one another for the ninth time at tour level, struggling to hold their ground, which led to several break exchanges throughout the contest.
Competing in his second semifinal in Madrid, Ruud eventually got the better of his opponent in a clash decided by small margins.
The Norwegian player will face either world No. 6 Jack Draper or 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti in Sunday’s championship match.
The Match as It Happened
The first game of the opening set, featuring a nail-biting 17-shot rally, set the tone of a highly competitive matchup.
Adding pressure from the onset, Cerundolo forced the 26-year-old to save four break points before holding the early lead.
Soon after, Ruud asked for the physio, receiving medical treatment when leading 2-1.
In his on-court interview, the 12-time ATP titlist referred to the physical issue, asserting: “I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly. I felt something in my rib during the warm-up, just towards the end before going out [on court], and I felt it in nearly every shot, especially the serve.
“Luckily, I got some quick treatment on it. There’s not too much you can do, you only have three minutes [with the physio]. So I will go and check it out more now.”
As play resumed under the closed roof of the Manolo Santana Stadium due to the rain, they exchanged a trade of breaks.
Rallying from a break down, the Oslo-born displayed his skills at the net with finesse, which made a huge difference en route to converting a crucial break in the 10th game, pocketing the opener 6-4 in 48 minutes despite his physical discomfort.
An enthralling second set saw the players picking up where they left off, and as in the previous set, the Argentine hit first, and Ruud broke straight back, setting level at 2-2.
Throughout a marathon fifth game, the three-time Grand Slam runner-up dug deep to fend off seven break points and held to inch ahead 3-2.
Unrelenting, the Buenos Aires native, who is tied with world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and Australian Alex de Minaur for most wins on tour this season (24), rallied to steal a double break in the seventh game, earning a 4-3 advantage.
With consecutive double faults and a few errors, Cerundolo handed his rival the break back to narrow the gap 4-4.
In the big moments, Norway’s top racket found an extra gear, putting to good use his experience while showcasing his tennis IQ to edge the 24-year-old.
Then, a pivotal break in the 12th game saw Ruud wrap up the set 7-5 and the match, advancing to his maiden final in the Spanish capital.
The numbers reflect how tight the match was. Cerundolo fired 28 winners against 27 unforced errors compared to his adversary’s 17 and 26, respectively.
Moreover, Ruud fended off 15 of the 18 break points he faced and converted five of the nine break-point opportunities he had.
Previously, he defeated former world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-5 to progress into his ninth career semifinal at the Masters 1000 level, his second in Madrid.
By reaching the championship match at the event, he guaranteed a return to the Top 10 in the Rankings on Monday.
