Indian Wells: Casper Ruud easily beats Diego Schwartzman (6-2, 6-3) in the 1st round

He recovered well. Out in the second round in Acapulco during his last tournament, Casper Ruud cleared the first hurdle with ease in Indian Wells. Exempted from the 1st round as seeded 3 in the Californian Masters 1000, the Norwegian took care of his entry into the running by controlling Diego Schwartzman (6-3, 6-2) in less than an hour and a half (1h28 precisely). In the 3rd round, he will face the winner of the match between Yoshihito Nishioka and Cristian Garin.

With only three victories on the clock in 2023, Casper Ruud did not approach this Indian Wells tournament in ideal conditions. Fortunately for him, he had to deal with an opponent even less confident than him, since Diego Schwartzman had won only twice (for 6 defeats) before their Californian duel. And on the court, there was not really a picture. The Argentinian notably paid his low percentage of first serves (54%), conceding his service three times, twice in the first act and once in the second.

In the exchange, “Peque” however showed some progress compared to the last few weeks. He held the backhand diagonal well in particular, managing to change direction along the line to sometimes outflank his opponent. But he committed too many unforced errors (27) to be able to really worry a dominating Ruud when he took the game on his own with a forehand.