ATP Bastad: Top favorite Christian Ruud wins third career title
The number one of the tournament in Bastad, Sweden, Casper Ruud, clearly beat Federico Coria in two sets in the final.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Jul 18, 2021, 05:38 pm
Not a single set loss in the entire course of the tournament - there is no better way to be the favorite in an ATP tournament. The Norwegian Casper Ruud achieved this impressive feat at the traditional clay court tournament in Bastad (Sweden). The only 22-year-old clearly prevailed in the final 6: 3, 6: 3 against the Argentine Federico Coria. For Ruud it is the third career title on the men's tour - the second this year after triumphing at the tournament in Geneva, which is also played on clay.
For Coria, on the other hand, it was the first final in a career that was already significantly longer than that of his final opponent. The 29-year-old South American's best result so far on the ATP tour was a semi-final at this year's Cordoba Open in February. Coria's older brother Guillermo, who had already declared his career over in 2009, was once number three in the ATP ranking and won two titles at ATP Masters Series events (Hamburg 2003, Monte Carlo 2004).
With "home advantage" to success
After winning the tournament, Ruud couldn't and didn't want to hide his great joy: “It was an incredible week, possibly the best week of my life. It's an incredible feeling to play here in Bastad, with all the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish support. There is nothing better than the feeling of playing in front of a home crowd. "
The Norwegian told a funny little anecdote from his family life. Referring to his father, Christian Ruud, who was also a professional tennis player, he said in the OnCourt interview: “I and my father were always fooling around about when I would outbid him in this or that. And now, I think I've beaten him in everything. "