‘I think I have seen Sascha play better’ Casper Ruud marches into the semis of Miami Masters with a massive win over Alexander Zverev
Follow Us
Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev
Casper Ruud became the talk of the town when he got the better of Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Miami Masters. The Norwegian tennis star defeated Zverev 6-3 1-6 6-3 to proceed to the last four of the ATP 1000 event. Ruud was in great form as he came up with his serve big time and rattled the big German.
Zverev was never in the game and was outplayed by a superior opponent. This is the first time Casper Ruud has defeated Alexander Zverev and will now progress to the next round. The Argentine tennis star has had a great tournament as he stepped up to play against Jannik Sinner. However, the Italian could not continue as he had blisters on his foot. Hence Cerundolo got the walkover, something he would not have wanted but will surely take it.
Ruud was very happy to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinals on the hardcourt so he was very ecstatic. However, the Norwegian wants to halt the celebrations and focus more on the job at hand.
“It feels good and it means a lot. This is my first semi-final in a Masters 1000 on hard courts, so that’s a good feeling. I’m very happy to do it here in Miami,” Ruud said after defeating Zverev in the quarterfinals.
“I’ve felt good the couple weeks I’ve been here practising and the matches have felt very good. I want to of course keep going. Today was my toughest challenge yet of the tournament and Friday will be another big one. I hope that I can take what I’ve learned from my three previous [Masters 1000] semi-finals and bring it into Friday’s match,” he added.
Casper Ruud will face Cerundolo with an opportunity to reach the finals
The Norwegian tennis star who is ranked 8th in the world has reached the quarterfinals of the ATP 1000 Masters events only three times and till now had lost all of them. Ruud felt that Zverev was far from his best on the day and he took complete advantage of that fact. Overall he was very happy with how he played against a quality opponent.
“I think I’ve seen Sascha play better than he did today, but I took advantage of it,” Ruud said. “I was focused, I was on top of my game, and of course, I had a little down period in the second, but I stayed focused and served really well in the first and third sets. That was the key for the match, I think.”
The Norwegian now has the opportunity to make this Miami Open even bigger as he will take on Worl No. 103 Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals. Winning at this stage of the event will be a big factor for both players as these are uncharted territories on hardcourt and it is a big opportunity for both of them with Francisco being a complete surprise package in this event.
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)