Casper Ruud has booked his place in the Madrid Open semi-finals after defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 6-3 7-5.
Ruud earned a maiden career victory against the former world number 1 in their first clash since 2021, and first matchup on clay.
Medvedev had defeated the Norwegian on three successive occasions prior to their Madrid bout, each time without dropping a set.
Ruud has the chance to gain points at this year’s Madrid Open, having lost in the round of 16 last year to Felix Auger-Aliassime, and could shoot up the rankings with a first Masters 1000 title.
Ruud, a two-time Roland Garros finalist, has now extended his perfect ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final clay court streak to 7-0, and has become the first to clinch another feat following his victory over Medvedev.
Casper Ruud becomes the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 30 tour-level semi-finals on clay
In beating Medvedev, the 26-year-old reached his 30th ATP tour-level semi-final on clay, becoming the first player born after 1990 to do so.
Three of those semi-finals came at the French Open from 2022 to 2024, where he made the final-four of the major in three consecutive years.
The world number 15 has found the majority of his success on clay over the course of his career, with 11 of his 12 titles clinched on the dirt.
Ruud has tied Fabio Fognini in tour-level clay-court semi-finals, and now just trails Novak Djokovic in the list of active players to reach the most semi-finals on the surface.
Casper Ruud’s clay court excellence over the years
Despite having never won a Masters 1000 title on his preferred surface, Ruud has won his fair share of matches on clay.
He won his first ATP tour title in 2020, winning the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, dropping just one set throughout the tournament.
| Year | Clay Court Tournaments Won |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Buenos Aires (ATP 250) |
| 2021 | Kitzbuhel (ATP 250) Gstaad (ATP 250) Bastad (ATP 250) Geneva (ATP 250) |
| 2022 | Gstaad (ATP 250) Geneva (ATP 250) Buenos Aires (ATP 250) |
| 2023 | Estoril (ATP 250) |
| 2024 | Geneva (ATP 250) Barcelona (ATP 500) |
In 2021 Ruud had his most successful year to date, winning four titles in Kitzbuhel, Gstaad, Bastad, and Geneva.
In 2022 the Norweigen went back to back in both Gstaad and Geneva and added another Buenos Aires title to his trophy cabinet.
He emerged victorious at the Estoril Open in 2023 and in 2024, finally claimed a maiden ATP 500 title in Barcelona, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to hold the trophy aloft.
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