Miami Open: Casper Ruud beats Alexander Zverev to enter semis
Mar 31, 2022
Miami [US], March 31 : Casper Ruud on Wednesday evening advance to the semi-finals of the Miami Open after defeating second seed Alexander Zverev.
On his third attempt, the Norwegian earned his first win against Zverev 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to advance to a semis showdown against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. The winner will make his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
"It feels good and it means a lot. This is my first semi-final in a Masters 1000 on hard courts, so that's a good feeling. I'm very happy to do it here in Miami," Ruud said after the match as per atptour.com.
Ruud lost his first three Masters 1000 quarter-finals on this surface -- including two against Zverev last year -- without winning a set. But he clawed past the gritty German for his fifth Top 10 victory (5-15).
Now the 23-year-old will have a big opportunity against World No. 103 Cerundolo, who had never previously competed in a Masters 1000 main draw or won a tour-level match on a hard court. This will be the pair's first ATP head-to-head clash.
