Casper Ruud routinely secured his place in the Italian Open final by defeating Luciano Darderi in straight sets in Rome.
Despite a lengthy rain delay, Ruud was able to beat the Italian 6-1 6-1 to reach the Rome final, where he will play either Daniil Medvedev or Jannik Sinner.
Ruud has now reached the final of all three Masters event on clay court, following previous final appearances at the Madrid Open and the Monte Carlo Masters.
The star has been in impressive form in Rome as he’s picked up victories against Zachary Svajda, Jiri Lehecka, Lorenzo Musetti, Karen Khachanov, and now Darderi.
Speaking on-court after the victory against the Italian, he said: “It feels great. A bit sorry for Luciano today. Playing at home and probably not with the most of energy. It’s understandable,” he said.
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Ruud believes Darderi’s exploits against Rafael Jodar in his quarter-final match was the real reason he was able to win the match at a canter.
“He finished at 2:30 the other night. What a match he had and what a tournament he’s had. Luckily for me I was done much earlier than him that day. I had more time to recover and get ready. It’s my 10th semifinal in 1000s and it’s his first.
“So you try to use that experience to your advantage and I think I did that well today. He was maybe a bit stressed and a bit nervous of the occasion. I tried to stay focused and in my own tunnel vision in a way. I think I did well. I was forcing a lot of errors out of his racquet.”
The Norwegian will now watch on eagerly as Medvedev plays Sinner for a chance to play Ruud in the final. Ruud was typically coy about which player he wants to play in the final.
“It will be a tough match no matter who it is. Either it will be a guy who cannot lose it seems like. Or it will be Daniil who won this tournament before. Both are great players and incredible athletes,” he said.
“If it’s Jannik it will be another test for me and hopefully I can get some sort of revenge from last time we played.. See if I can do better. No easy task no matter who it is. I’m really proud and happy to be in the final here for the first time.
“It’s a good feeling after a bit of a troubled year. These things have really kind of kick started the season now. Let’s see if I can keep it going.”
Ruud is back inside the ATP Tour top 20 after his performances in Rome and he currently sits at World No. 17 in the rankings.
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