Casper Ruud so nearly went out of the Miami Open on Friday afternoon with the Norwegian winning through in the end 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in what was a pivotal tournament for him heading into his favoured clay.
Ruud was down 3-6, 3-4, 15-40 to the Serbian but managed to escape. He hit 45 winners overall with 28 through his forehand. He is now 11-3 in 2025 so far. He now faces off against the winner of Corentin Moutet v Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.
Ruud wasn't as lucky at Indian Wells as he lost out to Marcos Giron. He previously has form at Miami though reaching the final back in 2022 so in reality will hope to kick on from here.
But would've been lamenting his luck as he went a set and a break down. Kecmanovic had an overhead to smash to serve for the match against Ruud at that 6-3, 4-3 point.
He missed that shot into the net and Ruud turned it around from there. Those are the breaks as top players like Ruud even when it seems like they are down and out can turn it around.
He heads towards a pivotal time in his season. He will defend big points at Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Geneva the latter two he sealed in 2024. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-3 and then went on to lose in the semi-final of the French Open in shocking fashion to Alexander Zverev.
He didn't decide to play the Golden Swing this season and instead will attack the clay after this but while it is a different surface coming into some form ahead of that is very much vital and back-to-back first round exits wouldn't have been the tonic. But thankfully he survived the Kecmanovic test and now moves on.
Match Statistics Ruud vs. Kecmanovic
| Ruud | VS | Kecmanovic |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 8 | Aces | 4 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 0 |
| 72% (68/95) | 1st Service Percentage | 60% (49/81) |
| 76% (52/68) | 1st Service Points Won | 73% (36/49) |
| 41% (11/27) | 2nd Service Points Won | 63% (20/32) |
| 78% (7/9) | Break Points Saved | 60% (3/5) |
| 86% (12/14) | Service Games | 86% (12/14) |
| Return | ||
| 27% (13/49) | 1st Return Points Won | 24% (16/68) |
| 38% (12/32) | 2nd Return Points Won | 59% (16/27) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 2h 03m | Match Duration | 2h 03m |
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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