They had been five victories from Buenos Aires by three from the Norwegian, so there was a lot of previous study. But this Casper Ruud He has regained the confidence of who stepped on three Grand Slam finals with caution, firmness and prudence. Sometimes too much for this … Aguerrido and power tennis, but has rebelled in this mutual Madrid Open to stand in the final with a good handful of matches. With ups and downs and an alternation of breaks in the second set, the Norwegian beats Francisco closing it And he will play his first final in Madrid. Tennis things, both have won 75 points, but the forcefulness and faith of Oslo, especially in the breakage balls (3 of 18 for the Argentine; 5 of nine for the Norwegian), unbalanced the clash.
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With 26 years, 15 of the world, Ruud has always been one of the tennis players best adapted for the beaten land, because eleven of his twelve titles are on this surface. It was hard for him to take off from the Eternal Smelnd, defeated by Nadal in the Roland Garros 2022 final, by Alcaraz in the final of the US Open 2022 and by Djokovic in the Roland Garros 2023 final. He won the Count of Godó in 2024 and confessed to this newspaper that it had cost him a lot to take away that slab of not having won anything too close and according to his level of his level. tennis. But in this edition of Madrid, Ruud has returned to recover that confidence with which he signed his three Grand Slam finals. With Victories against Rinderknech (6-4 and 6-3), Korda (6-3 and 6-3), Fritz (7-5 and 6-4) and Medvedev (6-3 and 7-5) until it reaches this that opens the doors of his first final in Madrid before a ceru that was not as fine as in previous rounds.
In the middle of the second game, the Norwegian approached the chair judge. At the end of the third game, he sat while he was assisted by the physio some discomfort in his left arm. It remained standing despite the Norwegian, with the well -defined strategy of avoiding as much as possible the right of the Argentine, pure fire when it stands well on earth.
But the Norwegian resistance stopped dry in the fifth game, with three uninforced errors that offered the Argentine break. The day was darkened for Ruud, as for the Magic Box, which was closing the roof with the threat of clouds.
Ceruing it, to his own, although also more unstable than in previous rounds (he only had a prize in three of the 18 breakage options), he had the tactic fixed, with changes of direction and power in each blow and small surprises with which they were in rent.
Ruud’s ‘gift’ with the break did not feel good, which was infected with darkness and offered his own serve with other bulk failures that returned equality on all fronts, good and bad.
But Ruud woke up, double speed in their serves and their remains, which resonated as the thunder of the morning storm in Madrid under the retractable roof, without barely detacheding from the bottom and awake line to catch any left. He forced the weaknesses of the Argentine (27 unfdded errors), who rebelled in the first set of set against, but the hardness of the Norwegian open right was too much for his reverse defensive and the 49 minutes already this RUUD that in the first game asked for medical assistance, sat with a set closer to his first final in Madrid.
Supported by a good handful of Argentines in the stands, closing it released his arm at the beginning of the second set and unbalanced the firmness of the Norwegian with a remains recital in the third game with which he took the breakage to the joy of his own (he would sign 28 winning blows at the end of the crash, by 17 of his rival). And everyone, because the level still rose more at the Manolo Santana stadium. The power against solidity. But the lost opportunities against faith in oneself.
The errors and the alternations of being able to arrive in the form of breakage, because the Norwegian lifted his and still endured seven ‘break’ options in a fifth game of 14 minutes; It was not enough for the determination imposed by the Argentine in his next serve, but returned to return the punishment to the next.
The breaks were arrested by a ruud that has found in Madrid the confidence to say in the microphones hard truths, such as the confession that he had to ask for psychological help for complicated moments in recent months, and to believe it is also worthy that he is worthy deserving of being a finalist in Madrid.
He planted the whistles of a sector of the stands that tried to deconcentrate it between serve and serve and did not despair with those left of the Argentine or with their own rainfall (26 errors); He learned not to leave holes in his climbs to the network, something suicidal and with a lot of open track on the first set and continued with his serve at 220 kilometers per hour to lift three break balls in the eleventh game. Trust, despite the rival’s thrust; Above all confidence despite their own mistakes.
Trust to win two game balls, lose the first and continue there, that the opponent had failed on many occasions and, although he also had more faith in which his tennis would end up prevailing over cerúando and his own mistakes. Thus, a good right -wing attack was too much for the Argentine, who sent his drive behind the background to claudicate Ruud’s mental solidity. Without a great tennis, but with the confidence that he would reach for this final, first in the Magic and Third Fund in his career, after Miami 2022 (he lost with Alcaraz) and Montecarlo 2024 (he lost with Tsitsipas).
«I have noticed some discomfort in training. Luckily I have had a treatment, although only three minutes, which have allowed me to take some medication. I think it’s not something very bad, but it was bothered. It was not a good start, but then I played a good tennis when I had to do it, ”he later admitted, happy of his place on the last day of the tournament.
