ATP Finals: Casper Ruud beats Andrey Rublev, reaches semi-finals
World number eight Casper Ruud became the fourth semi-finalist at the 2021 ATP Finals after defeating Andrey Rublev. The 22-year-old made a terrific turnaround after losing the first set, and eventually won 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5). Ruud finished second in the Green Group behind the mighty Novak Djokovic. The former will face world number two Daniil Medvedev in the last four on Saturday.
Why does this story matter?
Ruud is the only player in the last four without an ATP Finals title. The other three semi-finalists Novak Djokovic, Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev have won the tournament at least once. Although the top three players are strong contenders for the title, Ruud has already proved his mettle by claiming back-to-back wins. He has come from behind twice, against Norrie and Rublev.
A look at the stats in the match
Although Rublev was on the losing side, he won more points than Ruud (110/208) in the match. The former was on the charge in the first set. He won 32 out of 52 (62%) points. Both players struck 14 aces each in the match. Ruud fired as many as 34 winners and broke Rublev three times. The two players registered three double-faults each.
Ruud is 55-16 in the season
Ruud has been on a roll of late. He defeated Cameron Norrie to win in San Diego in October this year. In July, Ruud clinched three consecutive titles (Bastad, Gstaad, and Kitzbuhel). Prior to that, Ruud defeated Denis Shapovalov to win the Geneva Open. He has won a total of five titles this year and is 55-16 in the season.
First Norwegian to play the ATP Finals
Ruud earned a spot in the ATP Finals after beating Marcos Giron at the Paris Masters earlier this month. The former became the first Norwegian to earn a spot in the season-end championships. He is making his ATP Finals debut this time.
Feats attained by Ruud
Ruud is the sixth player to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Finals debut since 2011. The others are Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019), Kevin Anderson (2018), Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Kei Nishikori (2014), and Stan Wawrinka (2013). Ruud could become only the third player to win this tournament in his maiden attempt in this period. He secured his first victory over Rublev after losing four matches.
