Casper Ruud wins Geneva Open; clinches eighth ATP title
Number two seed Casper Ruud bested Portugal's Joao Sousa 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(1) to defend his crown in the 2022 Geneva Open final on Saturday. With that, the Norwegian now enjoys a 24-9 win-loss record this season. It's his second title this year. Notably, Ruud has won six of the last seven clay-court 250 events that he has played. Here's more.
Ruud hammered past France's Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-1 in R16. He then beat Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 7-6(3) in the quarters. In the semis, he ran down Opelka 7-6(2), 7-5. He now enjoys a 4-0 win record in ATP match-ups over the latter. Lastly, he outclassed Sousa across three sets. He now enjoys a 3-0 lead over the Portuguese player.
Ruud won in Buenos Aires and Geneva. The 23-year-old lost in the finals in Miami. He exited in the semi-finals of the Italian Open. He was out in the quarters in Barcelona and Munich. He was ousted in the third rounds at the Indian Wells and Miami Open. He exited in the second round in Madrid.
Ruud has won eight titles to date. In 2020, he claimed the Argentina Open. Notably, that was his maiden career title. Last year, he stamped a win in Geneva, Bastad, Gstaad, Kitzbuhel, and San Diego. In 2022, he claimed titles once again at Argentina Open and Geneva Open. He finished as the runner-up in Houston (2019), Santiago (2021), and Miami (2022).
Sousa has a 19-17 win record this season. He was crowned winner at the Maharashtra Open. He was a quarter-finalist at the Quimper Challenger. He exited in the first rounds of the Australian Open, Qatar Open, Indian Wells, Serbia Open, and Estoril Open. He was out in the qualifiers of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Rome Masters.
Sousa battered Spain's Pablo Andujar 6-1, 6-4 in R32. He trumped the number five seed, Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3 in R16. In quarters, he rode past Ilya Ivashka 7-5, 7-5. In the semis, he made short work of Gasquet, winning by 6-2, 6-2. With that, Sousa advanced to his 12th ATP tour final. He lost against the defending champion, Casper Ruud, in three sets.
Sousa has claimed four titles to date, having triumphed in Pune (2022), Estoril (2018), Valencia (2015), and Kuala Lampur (2013). He has been a runner-up on eight occasions. In 2014, he lost in Bastad and Metz. Next year, he was defeated in the finals in Geneva, Umag, and St. Petersburg. In 2017, he lost in finals in Auckland and Kitzbuhel, and later Geneva (2022).
