Casper Ruud earned a big win over defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2024 Los Cabos Open, and he was very happy about it.
Ruud has had a much better start this year compared to last year. He didn't really take any chances with his off-season, and it worked out much better for him. He's in the final at the ATP 250 tournament in Los Cabos after overcoming defending champion Tsisipas, who won his only trophy in 2023 here in Mexico.
Coming to the country is a longstanding tradition for Tsitsipas, who enjoys playing in Mexico very much. Unfortunately for him, he won't be playing in the final because he was beaten by Ruud in straight sets.
The match was a very interesting one as the players were close in level. The second, in particular, was very close, which is what Ruud talked about after the match as well. He even admitted to being a bit lucky, but he needed it because it was a big win and a final for the Norwegian.
"It was a really close match, all in all, especially the second set. I was fortunate to save a few set points there and hold him off. I was just a bit lucky, and in the tie-break I played really well from the beginning. So I'm very happy with the win."
The match was pretty important for both players, as Tsitsipas needed it as well. He's been fading off for a while now, and matches like this are certainly ones he needs to win to build his confidence.
It's a similar story for Ruud, who had a down year in 2023 but is hoping to get back to winning ways this year, and this is a great start.
The opponent final will be Jordan Thompson, a tricky player who is having an amazing week so far, so Ruud will need to be alert.