Ruud downs Draper to lift Madrid Open and first Masters crown

MADRID (Agencies): Norway’s Casper Ruud won his first Masters 1000 title on Sunday, as he stormed to a 7-5 3-6 6-4 victory over fifth seed Jack Draper in the Madrid Open final with a gutsy performance that showcased his claycourt mettle. The 26-year-old 14th seed, playing in his 18th claycourt final, overcame both a rib injury sustained in the semi-final and a resilient Draper to secure the trophy after previously dispatching Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo. “It’s been a long time coming. I have been dreaming about this since I was young. I knew Jack was playing unbelievably, so I had to bring my A+ game,” Ruud said in an on-court interview. Ruud had previously reached three Grand Slam finals, including two at Roland Garros, and Masters 1000 finals in Miami in 2022 and Monte Carlo last year. Ruud staged an impressive comeback from 3-5 down in the opening set, breaking Draper twice to take it 7-5. The Briton refused to go quietly in the second, however, holding to love for 3-3 before breaking Ruud twice while making just one unforced error to force a decider.

Although Draper was more composed at the start of the third set, it was Ruud who seized the initiative, breaking the Briton to take a 3-2 lead and securing the title with a hold to love. Despite the loss, 23-year-old Indian Wells champion Draper will leapfrog Novak Djokovic to a career-high number five in the world rankings on Monday. “I want to congratulate Casper on your first ATP Masters win, I think you really deserve it. The way you played, you were braver than me in the key moments. You deserve it and you have put in so much work over the years,” Draper told a packed stadium.