Ruud keeps a clean Swiss slate with second Gstaad title

Casper Ruud backed up his title from a year ago in Gstaad, staging a  4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 comeback on Sunday to defeat Matteo Berrettini for a second straight alpine clay trophy here.

Ruud stands an undefeated 16-0 at Swiss ATP events, with a pair of titles each in Geneva and now in the Bernese Oberland.

The fifth-ranked Norwegian spent just over two and a half hours in claiming his ninth ATP Tour title and his eighth on clay from 13 career finals. Ruud finished with an unreturnable serve on his first match point.

Berrettini, last season’s Wimbledon finalist, had won his last dozen matches coming into the final and was last defeated in March. 

The Italian missed the spring season with an abdominal injury – and a case of COVID – coming back in June and remaining undefeated until running into Ruud.

Berrettini’s 10 aces were of little use as he was broken twice in the final set as Ruud reversed the match momentum at the last possible moment after failing to convert on his first nine break chances.

“I started to feel my game in the second set and changed tactics in the third,” the winner said. “The points can go by so fast if you are not really focussed.

“The key in the second was holding my serve, I tried to keep the momentum going in the third.”

Ruud has made himself a tennis home in Switzerland with his multiple tournament successes.

“The crowd helped me a lot, from the first point to the last,” he said. “There is a lot of tennis history here.

The weather was great this week and it was a pleasure to play every match here in Gstaad.”

Ruud is the first repeat champion here since Spain’s Bruguera (1992-94 and is the first Top 10 competitor to win the Gstaad title since Roger Federer in 2004.

Berrettini, playing his 11th Tour final, said he had to fight for fitness this week at the event he won in 2018.

“I don’t have many words after a tough loss,” the No. 15 said. “(Roland Garros finalist) Casper has had a great season.

It was not the perfect week for me, I was struggling with my body and fitness.”

Ruud edged to 3-2 in his career series with Berrettini.

Main photo:- Casper Ruud wins Swiss Open by Fabian Meierhans/Swiss Open Gstaad