Ruud had as many as 15 break chances in the match but only managed to take advantage of the last of them. The break paved the way for victory in a game he won with the numbers 7-6 (9-7), 7-5.
The opponent, on the other hand, got only two break chances.
Denis Shapovalov beat Rafael Nadal on Thursday night but was tougher against fifth-seeded Ruud. There were two different styles of play that came together.
The left-handed Canadian likes to decide early and often goes to the net, while Ruud prefers to have a few exchanges of balls before deciding. They had met once before, and even then Ruud emerged victorious in last year’s final in Geneva.
The players followed one another until 4-3. Ruud then had four chances to break Shapovalov’s serve, but the opponent managed to save themselves.
The first set ended in a tie-break. Ruud was lucky who managed to “break” with a lucky net at 8-7 and was able to serve home the first shot.
In the second set, the players also followed each other closely. Ruud got his first break of serve at the 3-3 position but didn’t take advantage of the chance. In the 5-5 position, he had the opportunity to break nine times before going up to 6-5. He easily served at home the set and the match.
Ruud will likely face world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, but the Serbian must first beat Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
