"I did not imagine it would be on a hard court, but I'll take it" - Ruud after reaching maiden ATP Masters final

Casper Ruud broke new ground Friday at the Miami Open presented by Itau as he reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final, ending Francisco Cerundolo's dream run in the process.

The Norwegian held a 0-3 record in semi-finals at Masters 1000 level heading into his match against World No. 103 Cerundolo. However, the sixth seed produced an aggressive and consistent display on Hard Rock Stadium to ensure he would not fall at the penultimate stage again, triumphing 6-4, 6-1 after one hour and 34 minutes.

He said:

“It was not where I imagine myself playing my first Masters 1000 final [on a hard court], but I will take it. It is a great feeling and I am enjoying the city and the tournament. It was pretty brutal today. Very humid, which made the breathing a little tough.”

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Reaching this final is a great thing for Ruud as it fills him with confidence heading into the European clay season where he will be extremely dangerous. He admitted as much saying:

“It is a great feeling. I am standing here smiling. I have had three tough loses in my previous Masters [1000] semi-finals and I thought today was a good chance to reach my first final. I started a little shaky but I was able to pull through and raise my level when I really needed to.”