WATCH: Andrey Rublev wins second title of the season with triumph over Casper Ruud
On Sunday, Andrey Rublev defeated top seed Casper Ruud in the Nordea Open final to win his second tour-level championship of the year, with a 7-6(3), 6-0 final win.
The second seed, who lost just one set on the way to winning the championship, bested Ruud with explosive force, hitting the ball crisply from both wings for the whole of the one-hour, 33-minute match.
The 25-year-old raised his arms in joy after securing victory on his first match point, winning 80% (36/45) of his first-serve points.
“It is always great to win a title,” Rublev said. “At the end of the day, we have to lose almost every week, so this is one of two titles this year. It is a special feeling and the final was played in tough conditions, but I was lucky to have them.
“Casper hits with spin a lot, to play high and with this weather the ball did not really jump high and I think it helped me a bit. On top of that I played really well today.”
Rublev increased his lead against Ruud in their head-to-head series to 5-2 with his 18th tour-level clay court victory of the year. Now, Rublev has prevailed in all four of the duo’s encounters on clay courts.
After winning the tournament, the 25-year-old Rublev moved up three positions to fourth in the ATP Live Race to Turin. At the end of the season, Rublev hopes to compete in the ATP Finals for the fourth time.
Rublev won the largest trophy of his career earlier this year when he prevailed in the ATP Masters 1000 competition in Monte-Carlo. He now holds 14 tour-level victories.
Ruud, who won the championship in 2021, was going for his eleventh tour-level trophy and second in Bastad.
At the Swiss Open Gstaad on Sunday, Pedro Cachin defeated Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 to win his maiden ATP Tour championship.
Throughout the two hours and 23 minutes of the championship match, the Argentine blended strength with cunning, driving Ramos-Vinolas deep with his powerful groundstrokes before making excellent use of the drop shot.
The 28-year-old, who was playing in his maiden tour-level final, bounced back after blowing a break advantage in the third set, lifting his game once more to become the sixth rookie champion on the ATP Tour this year.
“In the beginning of the match I was a little nervous and made a few mistakes. It was the first time I had played against a lefty in the tournament but I stayed there,” Cachin said. “I tried to be positive, more aggressive and go to the net. In a final it is difficult to play like this the whole match. I am very, very happy.”
READ MORE: Daria Kasatkina slams WTA 250 rules as ‘stupid’ and ‘complete bull***t’
