Ruud Defeats Draper To Win Madrid Open
Casper Ruud earned a hard-fought 7-5 3-6 6-4 over British world number one Jack Draper to win the 2025 Madrid Open trophy on Sunday.
Ruud fought back from a poor start to win the first set which set him on course for a deserved victory.
Draper lost four games in a row before fighting back in the second set to break his Ruud at 3-3 and then holding serve after facing two break points in the next game.
Ruud held on to wrap up the victory by holding serve to love after a series of forehands by Draper.
It was Ruud’s first-ever ATP Masters 1000 title at the third time of asking after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in Miami in 2022, and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo last year.
The Norwegian star was excited to end his Masters 1000 ATP title drought while praising Draper for his efforts.
He said: “It’s been a long time coming. This is a really big goal that I have dreamed about since I was so young.
“It was a great match, I knew that Jack has been playing so well all year, so I knew I had to bring my A+ game. He is an incredible player.
“It’s been a long time coming, and it’s one really big goal that I dreamed about since I was young. It’s an incredible feeling to accomplish it, and also the way I did it today. It was a great match.
“I knew Jack had been playing unbelievable all year and also at this tournament. I know that if I don’t bring my A, A, A+ game I’m going to be whipped around the court. But luckily I played really well…
“This is a really good boost for me, I hope I can keep it going.”
Draper admitted that Ruud deserved the trophy while congratulating the Norwegian star.
He said:;“Congratulations Casper, you deserve this. The way you played today, you were braver than me in the key moments. You deserve this. You’ve obviously put in so much hard work and constantly had very good years on the Tour. I just want to congratulate you and the rest of your team for all the hard work.
“This loss hurts, but I also want to thank my team… This sport is brutal, but I think this loss is going to make me better, so I’ll keep trying.”
Ruud is now the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title. He is set to return to the top 10 rising to number seven, when the latest rankings are released on Monday.
Ruud Defeats Draper To Win Madrid Open is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
