Two-time Geneva Open champion Casper Ruud is now only one match away from yet another final after beating Sebastian Baez in three sets.
The Argentinian is a solid clay player with quite a few titles on the surface to his name. He's not on the level of Ruud, but he can hang with him, which he proved in this match. There are very few tennis courts where the Norwegian feels as confident as in Geneva, where he has won a title twice.
He's playing another solid event this year, hoping to win his third title. However, he'll have some tough opposition from Novak Djokovic, who is also in the semi-final. This match was not perfect, as he dropped a set, but for the most part, Ruud was able to come out on top when it mattered the most.
The opening set was a clean set from both players, as neither really allowed much on the serve. The second seed converted the only break point, which was enough as he didn't allow a single break point on his serve. Baez was more aggressive in rallies than Ruud, but it didn't work out in his favour.
The second set was much sharper from Baez, who continued to be the more aggressive player, and this time around, it worked out for him. He saved the only break point he faced while breaking Ruud once to win the second set 6-3.
The match went into a decider where the early games would be quite important. The Norwegian jumped out into a lead, but Baez broke back to stay in the match. Still, it wasn’t enough, as Ruud won the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the 2024 Geneva Open semi-finals, with another title now only two matches away for the most successful Norwegian tennis player.