Ruud resurgent against Rublev to complete ATP Finals semi-final line-up

2021 ATP Finals, Turin | Draw | Schedule

• What happened: Casper Ruud secured his semi-final spot at the ATP Finals in Turin.
• Why it matters: He took the last empty place in the final four.
• You will also learn: The confirmed semi-final line-up.

Casper Ruud rallied from a set down to beat Andrey Rublev 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) and secure his place in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

He will now play Daniil Medvedev in Saturday’s semi-final, while Novak Djokovic will play Alexander Zverev.

The two went into this match knowing a win would see either through to the next stage of the competition.

Rublev made a quick start to the match, assisted by Ruud’s series of unforced errors, and took the first set in just over half an hour.

But Ruud rallied in the second set, getting a break of serve in the penultimate game to force a decider and a one-set shoot-out – which he sealed with an ace.

“The court is playing very fast and Andrey plays very fast,” Ruud said in his on-court interview afterwards. “He rips the ball harder than anyone on the Tour and serves very well on his first serve. We all want to play under control and with initiative, but it is not easy against Rublev because he makes you run all the time and play defensively all the time. I knew I had to fight fire with fire. On the big points I think I played quite smartly.”

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