Casper Ruud accomplishes unique feat following quarterfinal win at Madrid Open, joins Rafael Nadal on exclusive list
ATP
Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud appears to undergoing a resurgence of sorts as he advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Madrid Open. The former World No.2 added another accolade to his resume on Thursday, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
The Oslo native is yet to drop a set at the Caja Magica, and kept the momentum going with a 6-3 7-5 win over Medvedev. After a disappointing start to the clay season where he dropped significant points at Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, the 14th seed looks ready to take on all challengers.
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Ruud joins Nadal with latest accomplishment
The 26-year old’s match on Thursday was his seventh quarterfinal at a clay court ATP Masters 1000 event, and also his seventh win. After beating Medvedev, Ruud joins an exclusive club of just three men to win his first seven Masters quarter-finals on clay since the format was introduced in 1990.
The only other two men to accomplish such a feat are Argentine Guillermo Coria and 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. Being one of the best clay court players during his era, Coria won his first seven Masters 1000 clay court quarterfinals. The former World No.3 won the Monte-Carlo Masters title in 2004.
Not much needs to be said about Nadal, who is regarded as the greatest clay court player of all time. The Spaniard won his first 23 ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals, before losing to compatriot David Ferrer at the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters.
🗣️ "It shows there's really good variation in the game these days"
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 1, 2025
Casper Ruud discusses how competitive men's tennis is at the moment 💭 pic.twitter.com/g5wzASlK7r
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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