Geneva Open Round-Up as Ruud and Cobolli set to battle it out in Geneva Open semifinal

Thursday, 23 May 2024 at 21:45

The semifinalists of the ATP 250 Geneva Open have been determined with the last two matches of the day. Casper Ruud (No. 8) overcame a tough challenge against Sebastian Baez (No. 20) and advances to the semifinals of the Geneva Open.

The second seed remains strong in the clay swing, having now defeated the Argentine champion of two titles this season to set up a meeting with Flavio Cobolli in the semifinals.

Casper Ruud stays in contention

A match that intensified as it progressed. An even start where both players displayed confidence in their serves. With no clear dominator, the equality persisted throughout the early games of the set. The first break point came on Baez's serve in the eighth game, and Ruud seized the opportunity to take a 5-3 lead. He then secured the set 6-3 on his first break point.

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The second set leaned in favor of Baez from the start, winning the first 3 games and maintaining his lead comfortably with an incredible 86% first serve percentage, winning 80% of them. The Argentine clinched the set 6-3, setting the stage for an exciting third set.

Although Ruud held the advantage for much of the set, with the score at 4-2 in his favor, the latter part of the match saw the most complex moments for both players. The final games of the match witnessed a sequence of four consecutive breaks.

Ruud won his first ATP 500 few weeks before at Barcelona Open-

Baez equalized in breaks twice, but Ruud's response was immediate, showcasing his class in crucial moments to secure the victory 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Unfortunately for the Argentine, despite the possibility of a comeback in the final minutes, he ended up falling with a double fault.

Cobolli the big surprise

The second semifinalist is Italian Flavio Cobolli, who defeated Aleksandr Schevchenko. The 22-year-old player has been impressive in the tournament with three consecutive victories and has reached the semifinals of an ATP tournament for the first time in his career, where he will face the experienced Ruud.

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Cobolli secured the victory against the Kazakh in straight sets, though he was not precise with his serve (only 55% with the first), he was dominant in winning 82% of points with the first serve. The Italian also showed solidity in crucial points by saving 5 out of 6 break points against him, while capitalizing on 3 out of 5 opportunities granted by his opponent.

This will be the first meeting between Ruud and Cobolli as they battle for a spot in the final just days before the start of the French Open. The second semifinal will feature Novak Djokovic against Czech Tomas Machac.