Third seed Ruud seals maiden Wimbledon win at third attempt
Send a link to a friend
 [June 28, 2022]
By Sudipto Ganguly
LONDON (Reuters) - Norwegian third seed Casper Ruud registered his
maiden Wimbledon victory in his third main-draw appearance when he
saw off experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(1) 7-6(9) 6-2
in the first round on Monday.
French Open runner-up Ruud failed to get past the opening hurdle in
2019 and 2021 and arrived at this year's grasscourt Grand Slam
following a first-round loss at Queen's to world number 180 Ryan
Peniston.
The odds were again stacked against the 23-year-old Ruud, who once
joked that grass is for golfers, as he faced an opponent who had
defeated him in three out of four career meetings -- though all the
matches were on clay.
Ruud served strongly, dishing out 14 aces, and dominated the
baseline battle against the left-hander during a rain-interrupted
match.
Both players had opportunities in the first set but neither managed
a service break before Ruud dictated terms in the tiebreaker to nose
ahead.
[to top of second column] |
Norway's Casper Ruud celebrates winning his first round match
against Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas REUTERS/Paul Childs
The 34-year-old Ramos-Vinolas, ranked 34th, traded
two service breaks with his opponent in the second and had four set
points in the tiebreaker to level the contest but ended up losing it
to fall 2-0 behind.
Ruud grew in confidence as the Spaniard's challenge melted away and
after two breaks in the third set the Norwegian sealed victory to
set up a meeting with Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Frenchman
Ugo Humbert.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
