Alexander Zverev “can play better” believes Casper Ruud as he achieves a ‘first’ in Miami

Casper Ruud has reached his first ever 1000 Masters hard court semi-final after stunning second seed Alexander Zverev at the Miami Open.

The Norwegian Casper Ruud wrapped up the victory in one hour and 38 minutes winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. This was Ruud’s first ever victory over the German after having faced each other on two previous occasions. Heading into the quarter-final clash, Ruud had lost his three previous Masters 1000 quarter-finals on hard-courts but was able to overcome that hurdle in the heat of Miami.

Reflecting on his strong showing, the World number eight said, ”It feels good and it means a lot. This is my first semi-final in a Masters 1000 on hard courts, so that’s a good feeling. I’m very happy to do it here in Miami.”

Ruud felt that Zverev was not at the peak of his powers during the quarter-final, but despite that, he was still ecstatic with the win, stating that his serve was the reason for his success. “I think I’ve seen Sascha play better than he did today, but I took advantage of it. I was focused, I was on top of my game, and of course, I had a little down period in the second, but I stayed focused and served really well in the first and third sets. That was the key for the match, I think.”

Ruud is set to face World number 103 Federico Cerundolo in the semi-finals, who was given a walkover in his quarter-final against Jannik Sinner. Both players will be looking to advance to their first ever ATP Masters 1000 final.

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