defending champion Ruud eliminated by Martinez in the semi-final at Estoril

The Spaniard took out the 8th world player Casper Ruud (6-4, 4-6, 6-4) this Saturday evening in the semi-final of the Estoril Open.

The Spaniard Pedro Martinez (77th player in the world) beat the No.1 seed and 8th world player Casper Ruud in the semi-finals 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, Saturday at the Estoril Open, of which the Norwegian was the title holder.

On Portuguese clay, it took the 26-year-old Spaniard more than three hours to overcome Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, and reach the third final of his career. “Casper is, for me, one of the three best players in the world on clay”Martinez said.

“If I wanted to win, I had to play my best tennis, and even with that I wasn’t sure I would win” he added. In the final, Pedro Martinez will face the Pole Hubert Hurkacz on Sunday, who dominated the Chilean Cristian Garin in the semi-final 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Hurkacz, tenth player in the world in the ATP rankings, could, if he wins, win his seventh title, the first on clay.