Ruud defeats Tsitsipas, wins Barcelona Open

Spain Seven days after losing the Monte Carlo Masters final, Casper Ruud beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-3 in their rematch in the Barcelona Open final.

Ruud's first title of the season and also his first ATP 500 Cup. Before this match, the Norwegian had played 21 finals at all levels and won 10 times, all at ATP 250. Ruud had lost three Grand Slam finals, one ATP Finals final and two Masters 1000 finals.

Ruud celebrates with his family at the Barcelona Open awards ceremony. He has won 11 and lost 11 ATP Tour finals since the beginning of his career. Photo: ATP.

On the Pista Rafa Nadal, Ruud played with more confidence than he did against Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo final last week. He also improved his serve, pulling Tsitsipas into long games. Ruud's persistence paid off with three of his six break points.

Ruud ended Tsitsipas' 10-match winning streak and claimed his 29th win of the year. The Greek has been unlucky at the ATP 500 level, losing all 11 finals at the level, including four in Barcelona. In 2022-2023, Tsitsipas lost five consecutive finals at all four ATP levels.

Tsitsipas said he was down on form compared to last week. "My shots here weren't as good as in Monte Carlo," he said. "But I still found a way to win and get to the final. I fought but Ruud was fresher, better and deserved to win."

Ruud said both were tired after 10 matches in 14 days. "I wanted to push Tsitsipas more, because in Monte Carlo I sat too deep and gave him a lot of time. It's great to win on the Nadal court, where I was a ball boy when I was 13 years old," he said.

Ruud has improved his form significantly this season, reaching three finals. Last year he was so disappointing that he missed out on the ATP Finals. The Norwegian currently leads the season in match wins and is third in the Race to Turin points table.

Vy Anh

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