MY ACCOUNT
World number eight Casper Ruud made light work of his semi-final opponent to win 6-4 6-1 and book his place in the Miami Masters final.
Ruud played unseeded Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, but the world number 103 could not handle the Norwegian’s serve.
Ruud won 84 per cent of his successful first serves (31-37), while Cerundolo was down at 52 per cent (17-33).
Despite the final score, it was a shaky start for the higher seed, getting broken in the match’s very first game, before instantly breaking back.
After a closely-contested first set, up 5-4, Ruud took the break and the first frame, and never looked back.
Cerundolo did create four break points in the second set to try and claw his way back into the game, but could not capitalise on any.
Ruud will look to add his second title of the year after also beating Diego Schwartzman in the Buenos Aires decider in February.
Speaking on-court after his win, Ruud said he was surprised that his first Masters 1000 final would come on the hard surface, and commented on the tough conditions.
“It was not where I imagine myself playing my first Masters 1000 final [on a hard court], but I will take it,” he said.
“It is a great feeling, I am enjoying the city and the tournament. It was pretty brutal today. Very humid, which made the breathing a little tough.
“I have had three tough loses in my previous Masters [1000] semi-finals and I thought today was a good chance to reach my first final. I started a little shaky, but I was able to pull through and raise my level when I really needed to.”
Ruud will play Carlos Alcaraz in the decider after the 18-year-old Spaniard overcame Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-2).
Incredibly, there were no breaks of serve throughout the entire match, with both men saving the three break points they were faced with.
Alcaraz was slightly better with his return game throughout, winning 31 per cent of his return points (27-86) compared to Hurkacz’s 25 per cent (20-80).
Down 5-3 in the first-set tie-break, Alcaraz rattled off four consecutive points to take the set, but made it look far easier the second time around.
