M 1000 MADRID. Spain By Leo Canaparo
Casper Ruud etched his name into tennis history on Sunday by becoming the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title, defeating Britain’s Jack Draper 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in a hard-fought final in Madrid.
The former world No. 2 showed resilience and composure, rallying from 3-5 down in the opening set and capitalizing on his only break opportunity in the deciding set at 2-2 to tilt the match in his favor.
At 26, Ruud celebrated emotionally on the clay of the Caja Mágica, raising both arms in triumph after converting his first match point to cap off a remarkable run in the Spanish capital.
Currently ranked No. 15 in the ATP standings, Ruud will climb back into the Top 10 on Monday, rising to No. 7 thanks to his impressive performance in Madrid.
With this victory, Ruud becomes the first Norwegian player to lift a Masters 1000 trophy since the series was introduced in 1990. He had previously reached two finals at this level, falling to Carlos Alcaraz in Miami 2022 and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo 2023.
This year’s men’s draw in Madrid took some unexpected turns, as many of the tournament’s top names exited early. Local favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew due to injury, while Novak Djokovic suffered an upset in his opening match against Matteo Arnaldi.