Ruud Returns To Winning Ways Against Antwerp Champion Bublik In Vienna Opener
Casper Ruud is back to winning ways at the 2023 Vienna Open, beating recently-crowned European Open champion Alexander Bublik in the first round.
Ruud didn't play that well recently, losing a couple of winnable matches in Asia, including a really bad loss at the Japan Open. The Norwegian was among those players battling for a spot at the ATP Finals, and none of that helped his case, but he's keeping himself alive in the battle with a win at the Vienna Open.
Bublik had an amazing week in Antwerp, going all the way to the final and beating rising star Arthur Fils in the final to win his 3rd career trophy.
Not many expected him to do that well in this one, but because of the short turnover and the unwritten tennis rules, champions from the previous week bomb out early if they play next week.
When it comes to the match, it was pretty close for a good amount of it. The opening set went to the tie-break, which is quite surprising when you look at how the set evolved.
Bublik jumped out to an early lead, which was a bit surprising, but he gave it right back, as the Norwegian kept himself in the match. Ruud then had to save break points at 5-5 which he did and Bublik had to save set point down 5-6 which he also did.
We saw a combined six break points in those two games, but neither player converted. The tiebreak itself was a pretty close battle, with Ruud coming out on top 7-5.
The second set was just a breeze for both players as Bublik let completely loose, which gave Ruud everything he needed to bring the ship home calmly. The final score was 7-6(5), 6-2 behind 22 winners and 7 unforced errors for Ruud. He will face native player Dominic Stricker in the next round.
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