“Next-Level S**T,” Casper Ruud Bizarrely Claims He Had ‘Fun’ Despite Jannik Sinner’s Demolition Show in Rome

Jannik Sinner improved his head-to-head record over Casper Ruud to 4-0 after knocking him out of the Italian Open.

“Next-Level S**T,” Casper Ruud Bizarrely Claims He Had ‘Fun’ Despite Jannik Sinner’s Demolition Show in Rome

Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP,X/Jose Morgado)

It took Jannik Sinner only 64 minutes to topple Casper Ruud and make another stride toward his second title of the season. On Thursday (May 15), at first, it was difficult to predict the result of the Italian Open quarterfinal clash between the two players.

Even though before this quarterfinal, Ruud was 0-3 in the head-to-head record against Sinner in the matches they played on hard courts, his achievements on clay made it an unpredictable affair this time. The Norwegian, a two-time French Open finalist, has captured 12 of his 13 titles on the clay swing, including this year’s Madrid Open (his first Masters 1000) which he lifted by beating Jack Draper.

But 6-0 read the scoreline of the first set. After handing the bagel to Ruud, Sinner continued his winning ways in the second set, winning two consecutive games, before the crowd erupted in cheers and Ruud too soaked in the applause during a change of ends when he finally was successful in winning a game.

That was all. A stingy Sinner was just not ready to give Ruud another chance to clinch a win as he quickly finished the match by winning the rest of the four games. Following his 6-0, 6-1 defeat, Ruud, who could not help smiling during the customary handshake, perfectly summed up the quarterfinal clash. Ruud said at the press conference:

No, it doesn’t feel so bad honestly. I think it was more fun than anything, even though I lost 0-1. You just look at the guy and say, ‘This is kind of, yeah, next-level s**t’- excuse my language- but I don’t know what else to say. It was almost fun to witness at the same time.

Sinner has now emerged victorious in straight sets against top 10 players 11 consecutive times. The victory was his 25th consecutive one as he has not yet lost a match since his China Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in October last year. Both Ruud and Sinner have signed up for another clay-court event before the French Open.

Casper Ruud makes his feelings clear on whether Jannik Sinner is underrated on clay

Jannik Sinner is chasing his second title of the season, the first being the Australian Open in January, which he lifted by demolishing Alexander Zverev. Then he served his three-month doping suspension given by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), missing four Masters 1000 events.

Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner (2)
Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Sinner is a winner of 19 singles titles, 17 of which came on hard courts, which include his three Grand Slam trophies. The rest of the two he lifted on clay (the 2022 Umag Open) and grass (the 2024 Halle Open).

Last year, Sinner produced his best performance at the French Open as he reached the semifinals but was eliminated by Alcaraz after a five-set battle. Does Sinner’s results on clay make him an underrated player on the surface? Casper Ruud definitely doesn’t share this opinion. Ruud said at the press conference:

I don’t know about others, but I don’t undervalue him. He reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. Here in the semis, this year. He still has more to show. I know he can play very well. He took Carlos to five sets in Paris, last year. It’s no secret that he plays well on clay.

Sinner next scheduled a semifinal clash with Tommy Paul, who went past Hubert Hurkacz. The three-time Grand Slam champion holds a 3-1 lead over the American, last meeting in the fourth round of the 2024 US Open, which Sinner won later. The upcoming match will be their second meeting on clay following their encounter in the second round of the 2022 Madrid Open.

Also read: “Frustrated,” Jack Draper Explains the Reasons for His Loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Rome