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Ruud has now won four ATP Tour titles in his career
Casper Ruud keeps on winning. The third seed overcame Frenchman Hugo Gaston 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday at the Swiss Open Gstaad to record a seventh straight victory and clinch his third ATP Tour title of the season.

The Norwegian came into the final full of confidence, having lifted the Nordea Open trophy in Bastad last week. Ruud was made to battle in a high-quality match, in which both players struck the ball with great depth from the baseline. The 22-year-old broke Gaston four times to claim victory in one hour and 36 minutes

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"It was tough," Ruud said. "Out of these past two weeks, this was definitely the toughest match for me against Hugo. He plays very fast and doesn't give you much rhythm. He can play drop shots and hit winners from anywhere. I really had to step up in the big points and luckily I was able to do so today."

Ruud has now claimed 24 clay-court victories this year and will move up to ninth place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin on Monday. The 22-year-old has now won two titles in Switzerland this year, after capturing the Gonet Geneva Open crown in May.

"When you win a tournament you have to beat many good players on the way and it was the same this week," Ruud said. "Every match was good and every match I played well. When you are in the final of a tournament you will give everything no matter what, and that is what I did today."

In a lively opening, Ruud fended off five break points in his opening two service games as Gaston looked to be aggressive. Both stepped inside the baseline and dictated with their forehand during the first set, but Ruud played the bigger points better, saving nine of 10 break points he faced in the match. He raced into a 5-2 lead before sealing the set on serve.

Ruud carried this momentum with him in the second set as he started to read the Gaston drop shot successfully. The Norwegian won a mammoth eighth game, in which there were 10 deuces, to finally break Gaston's spirit as he moved 5-2 ahead. He then clinched victory with one of the three aces he hit in the match.

Gaston was competing in his first ATP Tour final on Sunday. The 20-year-old was trying to become the lowest-ranked Gstaad champion since the start of the FedEx ATP Rankings in 1973.

"Today it was a really tough match, Casper played so well," Gaston said. "I tried to do my best, but I am happy overall with my week. I hope I can continue like this. It is amazing to play in a ATP Tour final. Now I need some rest for my body, but I feel good."

Second seed Bautista Agut and fourth seed Ramos-Vinolas fall
It was not easy, but Casper Ruud extended his winning streak to eight matches on Wednesday evening. The Norwegian battled past Spanish lucky loser Mario Vilella Martinez 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 to reach the Generali Open quarter-finals.

“It was obviously very tough. You can see it in the score,” Ruud said in his on-court interview. “I didn’t start too well and Mario played well in the beginning and heavy and [like] a typical Spanish clay-court player. He was playing good.

“He’s a very strong player, he can hit very strong balls, good serve. I just tried to neutralise the serve as good as I could. I wasn’t able to do it so well, but one break here and there can be enough and at the end of the day, I’m happy that it’s the end of the day and that I won the match.”

It is rare that Ruud has been tested over the past few weeks. The top seed arrived in Kitzbühel fresh off back-to-back titles in Bastad and Gstaad, and in his seven matches at those events he lost just one total set. Ruud will next play fellow Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus Mikael Ymer, who eliminated Austrian wild card Alexander Erler 6-2, 6-3.

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It took more than three hours, but Pedro Martinez was able to secure the biggest win of his career by FedEx ATP Ranking earlier in the day. The 24-year-old Spaniard outlasted countryman Roberto Bautista Agut, the second seed, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 after three hours and six minutes to reach the quarter-finals. It is his first trip to the last eight of an ATP Tour event this season.

"It was a really good battle from the start until the end. We both fought almost every point. I respect him so much," Martinez said in his on-court interview. "What he's done on the Tour in past years is amazing. We are from the same region in Spain. Today it's unbelievable to play this match against him on this nice court."

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Martinez, who defeated World No. 17 Gael Monfils just weeks ago at Wimbledon, broke World No. 16 Bautista Agut's serve five times and won 43 per cent of his return points. The two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist will next play Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who eliminated Czech lefty Jiri Vesely 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 after one hour and 58 minutes.

Bautista Agut was not the only seeded Spaniard who lost, as Italian Gianluca Mager upset fourth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(3), 1-6, 7-5 after two hours and 22 minutes. Third seed Filip Krajinovic maintained his title hopes by clawing past Spanish lucky loser Carlos Taberner 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 after two hours and four minutes.

Rinderknech and Martinez also advance
Top seed Casper Ruud survived a major scare on Thursday at the Generali Open as he saved a match point before defeating Swede Mikael Ymer 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 to reach the semi-finals in Kitzbühel.

The Norwegian has been dominant on clay in July, capturing back-to-back titles at the Nordea Open and the Swiss Open Gstaad in the past two weeks. However, hampered by a slight arm injury — for which he called the trainer to court in the second set — Ruud had to show his battling qualities against Ymer to advance in two hours and 28 minutes.

"I am just playing good tennis. [My arm] did not feel so good today, but that is part of the sport," Ruud said in his on-court interview. "A lot of players have pain here and there. Today the arm was working a little bit better after treatment, so hopefully it can be fully recovered by tomorrow."

The 22-year-old rallied as Ymer served for the match twice at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set, squandering a match point in the tenth game. World No. 14 Ruud then played more consistently in the third set to deny his Swedish opponent a first ATP Tour semi-final appearance. The top seed has now claimed 26 clay-court victories this year.


"It was a very very tough match," Ruud added. "Mikael played very well for two sets, and had the chance to win. I have been a bit lucky this year in a couple of matches where I have saved match points. It is small margins in this sport. Sometimes in tennis, it is not the guy who plays better that wins."

Ruud will seek a 10th straight win in his next match against Arthur Rinderknech after the Frenchman’s best-ever season continued to go from strength to strength on Thursday. The 26-year-old defeated third seed Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-1 in Kitzbühel to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final.

Rinderknech, currently at a career-high No. 91 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, struck the ball with great power and depth throughout to advance in 80 minutes. The Frenchman has now claimed 13 tour-level wins this season, having not won a match at this level before 2021.

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“It is amazing, it is such a nice city,” Rinderknech said. “It is such a pleasure to be in the semi-finals. Yesterday, I won 7-6 in the third and it was such a tough match. I went with my friend up the hill and took the cable car and went biking. It is such a nice region. I love it here.”

Rinderknech was competing in his fifth ATP Tour quarter-final on Thursday, having reached the last eight at the Swiss Open Gstaad and Nordea Open earlier this month.

Daniel Altmaier’s strong form continued as the German defeated Gianluca Mager for the second time in as many weeks with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory.

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Altmaier, who beat Mager on the way to the semi-finals at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag last week, won 74 per cent (51/69) of his first-service points to advance in two hours and 34 minutes

The World No. 135 will next play Spaniard Pedro Martinez. The 24-year-old backed up his career-best win by FedEx ATP Ranking over countryman Roberto Bautista Agut by defeating qualifier Jozef Kovalik 6-2, 6-2.

Martinez, who upset World No. 17 Gael Monfils at Wimbledon to reach the third round, will be competing in his first ATP Tour semi-final on Friday.

Norwegian aiming for first ATP Tour triple since 2011
Top seed Casper Ruud is one match away from lifting his fourth singles trophy of the year after taking down Arthur Rinderknech on Friday in a rain-interrupted 6-3, 7-6(7) victory at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

The Norwegian added an 11th consecutive victory to a head-turning win streak that has seen him claim back-to-back trophies at the Nordea Open in Bastad and the Swiss Open Gstaad. Ruud, who also won at the Gonet Geneva Open earlier in the season, will take on Pedro Martinez in the Kitzbühel final as he seeks to claim his fifth career title – and lift his third trophy in as many weeks.

“When I won in Gstaad, I was already thinking about it a little, that maybe I can try and get a hat trick. That would be unbelievable," Ruud said. "And now I have fought my way to the final here, and I have the chance to play for it tomorrow. I will try to fight even more again tomorrow.”

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Ruud is seeking to become the first player since Andy Murray in October 2011 to win three ATP Tour singles titles in as many weeks. Murray achieved the feat by lifting the trophies in Bangkok (d. Young), Tokyo (d. Nadal) and Shanghai (d. Ferrer).

The top seed had to fight through French alternate Rinderknech in order to reach the final. He broke early to take a 4-1 lead, and kept his composure after a rain delay halted play for several hours. Upon resumption, Ruud converted his fifth set point to close out the opening set.

He had to save a set point in the second-set tie-break as Rinderknech saved two match points and took a 7/6 lead. But Ruud, who didn’t face a break point in the match, reeled off the next three points to seal the victory after one hour and 45 minutes.

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“I think I played steady the whole match and with few mistakes. That was the plan all along, to try to feed him with a lot of balls as much as possible,” Ruud said. “He has a lot of big weapons, but sometimes when he plays it can be high-risk and there can be mistakes. I think I did the plan very well.”

Ruud will take on Martinez next after the Spaniard rallied from a set down to take down Daniel Altmaier and book a place into his first ATP Tour final. Martinez won 74 per cent (42/57) and broke his opponent’s serve four times to seal the 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.

The Norwegian will aim to win a fifth ATP Tour title when the rain stops
Top seed Casper Ruud is one set away from becoming the first player since Andy Murray in 2011 to complete an ATP Tour hat-trick. The Norwegian leads Spaniard Pedro Martinez by a set in the Generali Open final in Kitzbühel after claiming the opener 6-1 before rain stopped play.

When Ruud returns, he will be aiming to win a 12th consecutive match, having lifted titles at the Nordea Open and Swiss Open Gstaad in July. The 22-year-old’s strong clay-court form has seen him rise to ninth place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin.

The Norwegian is aiming to match Murray’s achievement from October 2011 when the former World No. 1 lifted the trophies in Bangkok (d. Young), Tokyo (d. Nadal) and Shanghai (d. Ferrer) in three consecutive weeks.

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Ruud, who also captured the Gonet Geneva Open crown (d. Shapovalov) in May, began the first set well. He controlled the tempo with his backhand before stepping inside the baseline to attack on the forehand. He raced into a 3-1 lead and was strong on serve, not facing a break point to move one set ahead after 40 minutes before the rain began to fall.

Spain’s Martinez is competing in his first ATP Tour final on Saturday. The 24-year-old secured the biggest win of his career by FedEx ATP Ranking when he overcame World No. 16 Roberto Bautista Agut en route to the championship match.