Tennis News: Defending champion Casper Ruud knocked out of Nordea Open by Francisco Cerundolo
Top seed Casper Ruud lost to Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the second round of the Nordea Open at Båstad Tennis Stadium in Bastad, Sweden, on July 13
Casper Ruud shock exit
Francisco Cerundolo held firm to pull off a strong comeback from a second-set upset against the defending champion Casper Rudd at the ATP 250 event. It was the first victory of Francisco Cerundolo against a Top ten opponent.
Casper Rudd had a slow start in the opening game but raised his level in the second set to send the match into a decider. Francisco Cerundolo made excellent use of his forehand to dictate the flow of the game by putting the 23-year-old Norwegian on the backfoot.
The closely contested third set was sent into a tiebreak after a point-for-point exchange between opponents. However, Francisco Cerundolo got a crucial break in the 12th game to secure a quarterfinal spot at the Nordea Open for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old Argentine sensation broke the serve of his Norwegian opponent three times to ensure his victory.
In a post-match interview, Francisco Cerundolo said, "I'm feeling amazing, I'm really happy. It's amazing getting my first Top 10 win. It's been the best year so far in my career. He's a French Open finalist and was the defending champion here, so it was a big challenge for me and I'm happy to go through."
World No. 35 Francisco Cerundolo will face Aslan Karatsev of Russia on July 15. The 28-year-old Russian advanced to his first quarterfinal since Marseille Open in February after beating Hugo Gaston of France 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.
Pablo Carreno Busta records 250th tour-level victory in Bastad
Pablo Carreno Busta roared back from a set down to record his 250th tour-level victory after beating compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in a second-round faceoff.
Both players broke each other's serve five times in the closely contested match before Pablo Carreno Busta emerged victorious in the decider. It was his fourth victory against Albert Ramos-Vinolas on clay court, with all three of their previous games going into a decider.
Pablo Carreno Busta will meet third seed Diego Schwartzman in a quarterfinal clash on July 15.