Berrettini, Ruud to battle for repeat Gstaad titles

Past champions Casper Ruud and Matteo Berretinii rolled over the dangerous opponents on Saturday to set up a high-profile final at the ATP Gstaad event,

Norwegian top seed Ruud, the holder at this alpine village venue, crushed Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas (2019 winner) 6-2, 6-3 in 63 minutes.

2018 champion Berrettini was similarly successful as he beat Dominic Thiem – the 2015 champion here – 6-1, 6-4.

Ruud, who is an undefeated 15-0 at Swiss events, called his victory “the best I’ve ever played in Switzerland.” 

The winner of two Geneva titles along with Gstaad last summer,  added: 

“This win gives me a lot of confidence for the final. It was also good for the body to win a match in one hour.

“It was still very physical.”

Ruud, who swept the final eight games, never faced a break point while breaking Ramos-Vinolas five times.

“This was the perfect kind of match to get ready for the final,” he said. Berrettini has been on a good streak, winning two grass titles.”

“He has also won here as well.”

The Norwegian will be watching out for his Italian opponent’s serve dangerous serve  

“The conditions here suit him well. and he’s a very smart player.

“I have to bring my best level tomorrow or I won’t have a chance.”

Berrettini could not have been more satisfied with his showing.

“I’m really happy with my performance. I knew I had to play my best tennis to beat him. I think my game in general was working pretty well.

“I was serving well, returning well. I was being aggressive. I don’t think I gave him the time to play his game and that was the key today.”

The Italian ranked 15th has now won his last 12 matches since returning from injury in June and now stands 4-2 against 2020 US Open champion Thiem..

“The more you play, the more you feel better,” he said. “Today was my best match of the week, obviously against a great player.

“I knew that I had to play at this level to beat him. I started way better. The approach was better, the attitude was better, the energy was better. I really enjoyed it.”

Ruud and Berrettini stand level at 2-2, with all of their matches played either at the Grand Slams or at the Masters 1000 level.

Main photo:- Casper Ruud won Geneva Title in May 2022 – by ©ATP