Ruud defeats Shapo in opening match of UTS New York day two

Casper “The Ice Man” Ruud defeated Denis “Shapo” Shapovalov in the opening match of day two at UTS New York, beating the Canadian 16-9, 13-15, 14-12, 16-11, on Friday at Forrest Hills Stadium in New York.

Both players lost their quarter-finals on Thursday, but it was The Ice Man who responded better to the loss on Friday. Ruud was clinical in all quarters except for the second, which was the first that Shapo has won in UTS.

“Better today. It’s still quite difficult to play here,” said The Ice Man, who was melting in the New York heat on Friday afternoon.

“Happy to get a win, going to try use it towards the US Open.”

On Thursday, Ruud played Nick “King” Kyrgios in the Australian’s first competitive match for over a year. The 29-year-old produced a high level of tennis, blasting past the second seed in straight quarters to book his spot in the UTS New York semi-finals. 

Unfortunately, Kyrgios announced he would be unable to play on Friday morning, with his wrist pulling up stiff after Thursday’s match.

Shapo, on the other hand, played the top seed in New York – Alex “The Demon” de Minaur. Conditions were challenging for Shapovalov, with the former Wimbledon semi-finalist going down 17-16, 19-13, 19-13.

Ruud now finishes joint-fifth at UTS New York.

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