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ATP Tennis Players, Tennis News

Casper Ruud silences doubters to reach first hard-court semi-final


Casper Ruud is starting to earn respect on the hard-courts after moving on to the semi-finals in San Diego with a comprehensive victory over Lorenzo Sonego.

The Norwegian star is building his hard-court game ahead of a very probable appearance at the ATP Finals and showed his capabilities on the surface with a 6-1 6-4 victory.

Although Ruud’s place in the Top 10 has been underpinned by his four clay titles, the 22-year-old showed he is more than just a ‘clay-courter’ by reaching his first semi-final on the hard-court surface.

“This is my first semi-final on hard court after reaching the quarters in Toronto and Cincinnati, so it’s another important step in my young career,” Ruud said.

“It gives me confidence for tomorrow and the belief that I can beat good players on this surface.”

Although Ruud has previously struggled on the hard-courts, his quarter-final appearances at two Masters 1000 events and his victory over Reilly Opelka at the Laver Cup puts him in a good position ahead of a potential ATP Finals appearance.

“It was closer than it may have seemed, but the key moments and important points went my way today,” said Ruud, who is looking to add a tour-high fifth title of the season.

“The three times I broke him they were close games and at 4-3 in the second I got into a little bit of trouble on my serve but I was able to serve out a close game.”

Ruud will now face Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the final after the Bulgarian improved to 17-14 on the year with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 win over Aslan Karatsev.


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.