Casper Ruud has had no issues continuing his exceptional form from the Madrid Open. The No.6 seed has taken down Alexander Bublik in a highly entertaining affair 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the third round at the Foro Italico on Saturday.
Ruud will now face Matteo Berrettini who surged past Jacob Fearnley earlier today as the home hero returned on a day where Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini on paper are the two to watch from a home perspective.
But Berrettini said don't forget about me in a superb win over the Brit. Ruud took the opening set breaking Bublik twice 6-4 but the Kazakh broke back in the second winning the second set aggressively. Lapses in concentration saw Ruud falter as he had to look towards a third set suddenly.
Bublik often dictated the tie but Ruud's return game was efficient enough to tee off and find a way through in the deciding set as he secured a defining break of serve en route to winning the third.
He saved several break point opportunities in the third set with his aggressive baseline play keeping Bublik at bay in the end when he managed to get that vital chance.
A match on paper for the showmen, it truly delivered. It is a seventh consecutive win for Ruud as he backs up his Masters 1000 win in style. He reaches the fifth Rome Open third round of his career and will fancy his chances to reach the fourth.
It will also be intriguing now to see how he approaches the next few weeks as he has now got the monkey off his back of failing to win a Masters 1000 but does he have that Grand Slam knack in him especially with doubts over the top names.
Jannik Sinner plays later today. While Carlos Alcaraz was emphatic yesterday but aside from those two, it is anyone's game.
Match Statistics Bublik vs. Ruud
| Bublik | VS | Ruud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 15 | Aces | 7 |
| 5 | Double Faults | 2 |
| 66% (63/95) | 1st Service Percentage | 62% (48/78) |
| 73% (46/63) | 1st Service Points Won | 77% (37/48) |
| 38% (12/32) | 2nd Service Points Won | 63% (19/30) |
| 63% (5/8) | Break Points Saved | 0% (0/2) |
| 79% (11/14) | Service Games | 87% (13/15) |
| Return | ||
| 23% (11/48) | 1st Return Points Won | 27% (17/63) |
| 37% (11/30) | 2nd Return Points Won | 63% (20/32) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 1h 58m | Match Duration | 1h 58m |
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