Casper Ruud was looking to win his tenth consecutive ATP Tour match when he took on Jannik Sinner in Rome.
The Norwegian had struggled for form during the early months of the season before bouncing back at the Madrid Open.
Ruud beat Jack Draper to win in Madrid, securing his first Masters 1000 title, having previously lost two finals.
Carrying that momentum through to Rome, Ruud won his opening three matches against Alexander Bublik, Matteo Berrettini, and Jaume Munar.
In doing so, he set up a quarterfinal clash between the two ATP Tour stars with the longest winning streaks, Ruud (9) and Sinner (24).
Many predicted a tight affair, although it was anything but, as Sinner dominated Ruud, 6-0, 6-1, booking his place in the last four.
Reflecting on his heavy defeat, Ruud highlighted the one shot that let him down against Sinner.
Casper Ruud says his serve ‘let him down’ against Jannik Sinner in Rome
During his post-match press conference, Ruud picked the shot from his arsenal that wasn’t up to scratch against the world number one.
“I mean, the shot that let me down the most today is my serve,” he said.
“If I serve better, sure, you get more free points.”
Ruud’s serve was uncharacteristically poor against Sinner, as he produced by far his worst serving performance of the tournament.
| Round | Aces | Double faults | First serve % | Win % on first serve | Win % on second serve |
| QF v Jannik Sinner | 1 | 2 | 52% | 43% | 21% |
| 4R v Jaume Munar | 1 | 1 | 59% | 78% | 81% |
| 3R v Matteo Berrettini | 4 | 1 | 71% | 88% | 67% |
| 2R v Alexander Bublik | 7 | 2 | 62% | 77% | 68% |
The world number seven went on to explain just how tough it was to win points against Sinner throughout the match.
“From the baseline, I won maybe one or two of the longer rallies. I’m not even sure if I won any when I think about it. There had to be one or two, I think,” said Ruud.
“The majority of the baseline rallies, he got the better of me, even though I felt like I tried to set up the points how I wanted. He was just everywhere.
“It’s kind of saying that when someone plays that well, it feels like you have two forehands, one from the forehand side and the other from the backhand side. In his case, it’s almost like two backhands because his backhand is also so good.
“It was like playing a wall that shoots hundred-mile-an-hour balls at you all the time.”
Ruud will, of course, be disappointed to have been beaten so convincingly, but in his defence, there aren’t many players alive who could’ve beaten Sinner on Thursday.
The Italian was playing out of his skin, treating the fans on Stadio Centrale to a once-in-a-lifetime performance.
Never one to dwell on his losses for too long, Ruud will now travel to Geneva, where he’ll look to defend the title he won in 2024.
Can Casper Ruud bounce back from Jannik Sinner defeat to win his fourth title in Geneva?
Ruud is scheduled to return to action at the Geneva Open, which begins on Monday, May 19.
The 26-year-old is the most successful player in the tournament’s history, winning the event in three of the last four years.
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Final score |
| 2024 | Casper Ruud (3) | Tomas Machac | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2023 | Nicolas Jarry | Grigor Dimitrov | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2022 | Casper Ruud (2) | Joao Sousa | 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 2021 | Casper Ruud | Denis Shapovalov | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2019 | Alexander Zverev | Nicolas Jarry | 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 |
| 2018 | Marton Fucsovics | Peter Gojowczyk | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2017 | Stan Wawrinka (2) | Mischa Zverev | 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2016 | Stan Wawrinka | Marin Cilic | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2015 | Thomaz Bellucci | Joao Sousa | 7-6, 6-4 |
Ruud beat Czech star Tomas Machac in last year’s final to move clear of Stan Wawrinka with three titles in Geneva.
In search of a record-extending fourth title, Ruud will likely have to take down some of the sport’s elite, as several big names plan to finish up their French Open preparations in Switzerland.
Top eight seeds at the 2025 Geneva Open
- 1. Taylor Fritz
- 2. Novak Djokovic
- 3. Casper Ruud
- 4. Tomas Machac
- 5. Karen Khachanov
- 6. Alexei Popyrin
- 7. Hubert Hurkacz
- 8. Alex Michelsen
Ruud will be wary of the challenges Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz could pose, should they face off during the latter stages of the tournament.
The 2025 Geneva Open, featuring three top-ten stars, will begin on Monday, May 19.
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