April 18, 2024 at 17:25
Casper Ruud to the quarter-finals in Barcelona
Casper Ruud showed solid tennis when he beat Australian Jordan Thomson in straight sets and reached the quarter-finals of the ATP500 tournament in Barcelona.
Ruud won with the numbers 6-1 and 6-4.
The heavy conditions with very high humidity on the Barcelona gravel probably suited Ruud best. The 25-year-old swept Thomson in the first set, which he decided after just over half an hour.
The second set was much more even, but Ruud still steered the match where he wanted. When he broke into a 4-3 lead, there was no longer any doubt.
Like Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov, Ruud has won all of his first two matches in the tournaments he has played this year.
Thompson and Ruud had met four times before and stood with two victories each before Thursday’s clash. Ruud lost to the Australian in the final in Los Cabos earlier this year, but that tournament was played on hard court.
The Italian 23-year-old Matteo Arnaldi will be Ruud’s opponent in the quarter-finals. (NTB)