Ruud begins ATP Finals campaign with straight-set win over Auger-Aliassime
Ruud scores his third career win in four meetings against Auger-Aliassime
Casper Ruud at the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin (AI / Reuters / Panoramic)
Casper Ruud began his ATP Finals campaign with a straight-set win over Canada’s Felix Auger-Alaissime on Sunday in Turin, Italy.
Ruud, who has struggled winning only two of six matches since reaching his second Grand Slam final at the US Open, needed one hour and 51 minutes to beat Auger-Aliassime 7-6, 6-4.
Augaer-Aliassime has been one of the most successful players in the fall season, winning three titles in a row and 16 of 17 matches coming into this tournament.
This was Ruud’s third win in four career meetings over the Canadian, including his second in 2022, and his third in a row. It is his second consecutive appearance in the ATP Finals, whereas Auger-Alaissime is making his debut in the season-finale.
Auger-Aliassime struggled on his second serve
The Norwegian won two of his three matches in the round-robin stage last year to qualify for the semi-finals, losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Despite 14 aces in the match (as compared to only five for Ruud), Auger-Aliassime struggled on his second serve – winning only 47 percent of his second serve points. Ruud, on the other hand, won 71 percent of his second serve points.
With the round-robin format, Auger-Aliassime is still alive in the tournament and will meet Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz later in the week.
