Ruud defeats Tsitsipas to win Barcelona Open
Norway's number three seed Casper Ruud claimed the first ATP 500 series win of his career when he beat Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets at the Barcelona Open on Sunday afternoon.
Ruud won 7-5, 6-3 to complete a tournament in which he failed to drop a single set, and in doing so he took revenge for his defeat to Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo Masters just a week ago.
He claimed the first set despite losing his first service game, but broke back in the sixth game after taking advantage of two double faults from his rival.
Tsitsipas looked shaky after that, but recovered, partly thanks to his willingness to attack the net, although Ruud assured the set by breaking his rival in the 12th game, after two impressive backhands.
Ruud looked confident in the second set and was content to try and control the play, while Tsitsipas began to make too many unforced errors, allowing the Norwegian to claim the definitive break in the fourth game.
"It means a lot to me. It is the biggest title I have won in my career. I have been in a lot of finals, but this was a good day and I am really happy," he said in his post-match interview.