Monaco finalist Casper Ruud got off to a good start in Barcelona. To achieve his 25th victory of the season (tied with Jannik Sinner), the 25-year-old Norwegian was more consistent and impactful in key moments than Alexandre Müller (110th in the world). The Frenchman, who started the match well to lead 2-0, was able to keep up the pace for a while, but he was too irregular by committing unforced errors at important moments, having to face sixteen break points in All.
He capitulated in both sets, each time on his service games when he had just taken his opponent’s. At 5-4 in the second set, after having broken the world No. 6 with a superb long-line backhand at the end of an intense rally, he immediately lost his white entry, on a bad play (double fault, missed volley, wooded forehand on match point). It was his eighth confrontation against a member of the top 20 and he has not yet managed to win in these kinds of circumstances.
