 "Tennis roundup: Ruud wins in Barcelona, Rybakina triumphs in Stuttgart")
Casper Ruud defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-3 to win the Barcelona Open on Sunday, the biggest title of his career.
The Norwegian earned revenge for his Monte Carlo Masters final defeat last week at the hands of the Greek world number seven.
Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, had previously won 10 ATP Tour titles but they were all at 250 level. The latest, on the clay courts of Barcelona, is his first in a 500-ranked tournament.
3, 2, 1...JUMP 💦🏆@CasperRuud98 @BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/UWYXAaIS4k
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 21, 2024
“For me it means a lot, this is my biggest title that I ever won in my career, it’s something I’ve chased for a long time already,” Ruud told Teledeporte.
“I’ve never won a 500 before or a 1000, I’ve been to a few finals but always came up a little bit short.
“I didn’t start great during the match but luckily I was able to come back in and play really well in the end of the first and the second set.”
Ruud, 25, leads the tour with 29 wins this year but had lost in three finals before wrapping up his first title of 2024 when Tsitsipas, who lacked his usual spark, went long.
“The last six, seven months I’ve taken a few steps in the right direction in my game and I’m glad it’s paying off,” added Ruud.
Ruud conceded a break in the opening game, which Tsitsipas consolidated for 2-0, giving the chance of a repeat of his first-set collapse in the Monte Carlo final.
However Ruud stayed calm and broke back in the sixth game with a passing shot the Greek could not control.
The Norwegian brought up two set points at 6-5 up, clinching it with a break when Tsitsipas erred at the net.
‘Too good’
Casper Ruud: ATP 500 Champion! 🏆@CasperRuud98 @bcnopenbs #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/9UtNPCkFtV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 21, 2024
Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Tsitsipas slapped a forehand into the net to concede the first break of the second set and Ruud then held to open up a 4-1 lead.
Tsitsipas saved two break points in the sixth game to give himself a chance of a comeback, but could not match Ruud’s energy after two draining three-set matches in his run to the final.
Ruud’s 91-minute victory ended a 10-match winning streak for Tsitsipas.
“I wasn’t playing my best tennis this week in Barcelona… throughout the whole week I didn’t feel like my shots had the same effect as they did in Monte Carlo,” said Tsitsipas.
“Today it felt like I didn’t have the mental capacity to even fight. Even if I wanted to push myself to fight, Casper was just too good today.”
Tsitsipas blamed the Catalan clay for taking the edge off his shots but said the courts at the Madrid Open where he will compete next week are a better fit for his game.
“The environment in Madrid has shown in the past that it suits me and it’s a place I can play well if I’m in the right mindset and committed to the game,” he added.
Rybakina beats Kostyuk to win Stuttgart Open
Kazakh fourth seed Elena Rybakina defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to win the WTA event in Stuttgart on Sunday.
2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina beat Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 in one hour nine minutes, ending the 21-year-old Ukrainian’s giant-killing run at the tournament.
The world number four broke Kostyuk twice in the first set and twice in the second, fighting off three break points from the world number 27 to lift her eighth career title.
Rybakina how holds a 2-1 record against Kostyuk.
“I want to congratulate Marta for a great tournament. You’re playing really well and hopefully we play many more finals,” Rybakina said.
“The crowd, guys, it was an unbelievable week. It was nice to play every match here and fight. Your energy gives a lot during these tough matches.”
The title is her third of 2024, having already won in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi and it is the first time she has won three WTA titles in one year.
Sunday’s victory was also the 24-year-old’s third title win on clay in her career.
Rybakina needed to overcome world number one Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s semi-final.
Rybakina took three hours to overcome the four-time grand slam winner and shattering her 10-match winning streak at the tournament, which included capturing the last two titles.
Kostyuk also took the hard road to the final, beating top-10 opponents Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff and Marketa Vondrousova to reach Sunday’s match.
“I want to congratulate Elena and her team. She’s had an amazing couple of seasons and it’s always a pleasure playing against you,” Kostyuk said after the match.
Struff beats Fritz in Munich for debut title
The moment Jan-Lennard Struff captured his FIRST ATP title! 🏆@Struffitennis #BMWOpen pic.twitter.com/HjkeZS9UhV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 21, 2024
German fourth seed Jan-Lennard Struff broke through for his debut ATP singles title in his 218th tournament on Sunday, beating American third seed Taylor Fritz in the final in Munich.
The 33-year-old Struff won in straight sets, beating Fritz 7-5, 6-3 in the rain in the Bavarian capital.
Fritz, ranked 15th in the world, 13 places higher than the German, already had seven titles to his name before Sunday’s match.
The local favourite, left to fly the German flag after first seed Alexander Zverev was eliminated in the quarter finals by Chilean Cristian Garin, won in 79 minutes on the Munich clay.
“It’s unbelievable, I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I’m 33 years old,” the breathless Struff said a few moments after his triumph.
“I’ve been here for so long, now I’ve finally done it.”
Struff played his first ATP tour match 11 years ago and has won four doubles titles, but had never lifted a singles crown.
“Unbelievable — and to do it on home soil is just incredible. I waited so long,” Struff said.
“I’ve been playing so long on tour so it’s just an amazing feeling to do it here in Germany.”
In addition to a cash prize, winners of the BMW-sponsored tournament take home a car worth around 100,000 euros ($107,000) and a pair of traditional Bavarian lederhosen.
The rain would not let up during the final, with spectators including German World Cup winner Thomas Mueller watching huddled under umbrellas.
The fourth seed qualified for Sunday’s final by beating second seed Holger Rune – the winner of the past two Munich tournaments – in just 45 minutes.
(with inputs from AFP)
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