|
"Honestly, this has been worth the wait," Ruud
said after capturing the biggest title his career, with all his
previous triumphs being in ATP 250 tournaments.
After seven failed attempts to win a final above the ATP 250
level, Ruud was relieved to finally get over that hurdle.
"A lot of finals that I've lost have been tough, a bit
disappointing, of course," he said.
"Any time you reach a final, it's nonetheless a good week, so
you can’t be too hard on yourself but this one has been a long
time coming."
Ruud also halted Tsitsipas' 10-match winning streak.
The Greek gained an early break but Ruud soon got into his
groove and from then on he frustrated Tsitsipas with his
baseline tactics.
Ruud maintained the upper hand throughout the second set, during
which he did not face a break point.
"In the final in Monte Carlo I was always on the back foot, too
far behind, and he had too much time to control the game," said
Ruud.
"It was a bit of a tricky start (here), I got broken right away.
So not the best start, but I managed to settle in and broke him
back."
The world number six will hope the win will boost his chances of
finally winning the biggest prize in claycourt tennis, following
his runner-up finishes to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the
French Open over the past two years.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
