Casper Ruud offers his first Masters 1000 in Madrid against Jack Draper

The Norwegian won the best title of his career on Sunday. What reassure this clay specialist three weeks from Roland-Garros.

France Télévisions – Sport writing

A week (almost) perfect. The Norwegian Casper Ruud offered himself, Sunday, May 4, the first trophy of his season and the most beautiful in his career by winning in the final of the Masters 1000 in Madrid, against Jack Draper (7-5, 3-6, 6-4). An first ideal to fill up with three weeks of Roland-Garros, which he had reached the final in 2022 and 2023.

Opposed to the feeling of this season (Jack Draper was 40th in the world eleven months ago), Casper Ruud is the one who managed to tip a disjointed match on the bright side. The two players each experienced an empty passage. Jack Draper first served for the first set, but a chain of direct faults allowed the Norwegian to break up and take the Channel. Casper Ruud then was transparent in the second set. In the last round, the Norwegian managed to break a jack draper on the thread at the end of his 5th attempt to lead 3-2 and spin towards victory.

After timid beginnings this season on earth (eliminated in eighth in Monte-Carlo, quarter in Barcelona), this ocher specialist dropped only one set in Madrid, during the final. By having the British Jack Draper (number 6), Casper Ruud hung on his table his third top 10 of the week, after having swarmed Taylor Fritz (number 4) and Daniil Medvedev (number 10). HASA world number 2, Casper Ruud will return to the top 10 on Monday. He now has 13 titles to his record, including 12 on clay.