Casper Ruud returned to the Geneva Open in hopes of winning his third trophy, having failed to do so last year, and he started well.
The Norwegian won the ATP 250 event in the Swiss city in 2021 and then again in 2022, but he didn't go all the way last year. Nicolas Jarry stopped him in the quarter-finals last year, but he's back in the quarter-finals again this year after beating Sebastian Ofner in three sets.
It comes after he beat the Austrian in a competitive match that went the distance. Ruud opened the match with an early break, which is about as ideal as he could have started the match.
Ofner, however, broke back and then outplayed his opponent down the line to win the opening set 6-4. The Austrian was just amazing, hitting some impossible shots totaling 9 winners in the first set.
Ruud bounced back, though, as he knows these courts really well. He served better, which translated to his play as well. He was more precise in his display, though Ofner didn't really fall off too much.
He still posted a pretty good line of 7 winners and 2 unforced errors, but Ruud found a way to navigate all of that, winning the second set 6-2. The final set was similar in that regard. The Norwegian kept pushing, and he got an early break, which was ideal for him.
He kept his serve relatively comfortably in the following games, even though he didn't serve that well in the third set. Overall, it was just a really solid performance from the Norwegian, who is widely considered a dark horse candidate to go all the way at the upcoming Roland Garros.
First, though, he'll try to go all the way in Geneva to get that third trophy. Performances like this one will certainly be good enough to do so, as he won 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. The draw also features a certain Novak Djokovic.
0 Comments