Spoiler:
Will Casper Ruud become the first champion to successfully defend his crown at the Millennium Estoril Open?
The Norwegian advanced to the semi-finals at the ATP 250 clay-court event on Friday when he dispatched Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-2.
The top seed is chasing his first title since last year, when he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the Estoril championship match. In a dominant performance against Fucsovics, he won 82 per cent (28/34) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to triumph after 68 minutes.
"I've seen Marton play better, definitely I've felt Marton play better, because the last time we played I lost 6-0, 6-0 to him, double bagel. It's some years ago now but happy to get my revenge," Ruud said, referring to their ATP Challenger Tour meeting in Budapest in 2017.
"A bit unfortunate for him, struggling a bit physically [toward the end of the match]. But for me it's another good match on the clay in Estoril. Moving on to the semi-finals without having to spend three hours on court is fantastic. I will have extra energy and time to recover for tomorrow."
Ruud, who has won nine of his 10 tour-level titles on clay, has now reached 25 tour-level semi-finals on the surface. With his victory against Fucsovics, he has improved to 8-0 against players outside the Top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings this year. He will next play Pedro Martinez.
The Norwegian advanced to the semi-finals at the ATP 250 clay-court event on Friday when he dispatched Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-2.
The top seed is chasing his first title since last year, when he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the Estoril championship match. In a dominant performance against Fucsovics, he won 82 per cent (28/34) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to triumph after 68 minutes.
"I've seen Marton play better, definitely I've felt Marton play better, because the last time we played I lost 6-0, 6-0 to him, double bagel. It's some years ago now but happy to get my revenge," Ruud said, referring to their ATP Challenger Tour meeting in Budapest in 2017.
"A bit unfortunate for him, struggling a bit physically [toward the end of the match]. But for me it's another good match on the clay in Estoril. Moving on to the semi-finals without having to spend three hours on court is fantastic. I will have extra energy and time to recover for tomorrow."
Ruud, who has won nine of his 10 tour-level titles on clay, has now reached 25 tour-level semi-finals on the surface. With his victory against Fucsovics, he has improved to 8-0 against players outside the Top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings this year. He will next play Pedro Martinez.
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